Scarlett one half: Ranma's look alike troubles
by LovelyLily13
Summary: Scarlett is Ranma's cousin. But the fact that she looks exactly like girl Ranma causes many problems and solutions for her family. After the Eternal Lost Boy Ryoga meets her, he's now in the middle of a debate. Akane or Scarlett? Rated T to be safe! R&R
1. Enter Scarlett, the Ranma look alike!

**Yo! LovelyLily13 here! Here, is my Ranma fic! You'll find this very enjoyable. At least I think. I'm only thirteen so if you have anything mean to say, don't say it, tell me what I did right and wrong and see what happens. But I think I've watched enough episodes to get it right. So yeah… ~Meow!~ *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose.* Don't judge me!**

_*Scarlett adding something to the story*_

Me telling it.

* * *

><p><em>*Hi, I'm Scarlett Saotome. Ranma Saotome's look alike cousin. Well, his girl side's look alike cousin. This is the story of my life in Nerima, Tokyo.* <em>

Scarlett had walked and flew thousands of miles to get to where she was now.

"Man. I should've asked for directions earlier. I can't believe I lost my compass back there." She sighed, taking in her surroundings. "Where did Ranma say he lived?"

Scarlett was short for her age, fifteen almost sixteen. She looked exactly like Ranma Saotome's girl side. Her eyes were a deep blue, hair the exact same color as her name. Her hair was straight at the top, curly at the bottom. She had a slim figure, white jean shorts, a yellow vest, hiking boots, white biking gloves, and a bow on top of her head, just like Ukyo's except that it was yellow. She heard shouting.

"Ranma Saotome, prepare to die!"

"You already said that, Ryoga!"

Two teenage boys, approximately sixteen years old, came by, fighting intensely. Well, one was fighting intensely, the other looked like he wasn't putting much effort into it.

"Hey, Ran-Chan!"

They didn't hear her as they went past her. She tried again.

"Ranma?"

Ryoga jumped past her.

"Ranma!"

He was about to go past her.

"RANMA!"

She grabbed his pigtail and caused him to fall from his jump. Looking up to see a face that was similar to his girl side, Ranma was staring into blue eyes. Scarlett was looking at Ranma, crouched over, her hands resting on her knees.

"Do you have hard hearing or something? I called you four times." Ranma stood up and looked at the girl.

"Scarlet? Is that you?"

"Who else would it be?" Ranma hugged the girl. Ryoga split the two apart, hands on both people's chests.

"Ranma and I are in the middle of something here!" He looked at Scarlett, realizing he was holding one of her breasts.

"S-Sorry!" He stuttered.

"You done squeezing me, you," She started, a visible blush on her angry face.

Both Saotomes punched the poor guy on the head.

"Pervert!" They both finished.

_*Weird thing was, a similar incident happened between girl Ranma and Uncle Tendo, before I was there of course.*_

On the ground, Ryoga was holding the spots where he had been hit. He looked up to see Scarlett glaring at him.

"You perverted creep! How dare you grope me like that?" Ryoga stood up. Scarlett's eyes followed his every move.

"I didn't do it on purpose! And who are you to interrupt my fight with Ranma!" Scarlett stood straight, arms folded and a look of disgust in her face. If you look to the side, you would see that Ranma was standing the exact same way with the same look on his face.

"My name is Scarlett Saotome. I'm Ranma's younger cousin. If it's a fight you're looking for," She went into a fighting stance. "Then why don't you fight me?"

Ryoga scoffed. He pushed her aside.

"I don't fight girls. Plus you don't seem like much of an opponent." Ranma raised an eyebrow. He smiled, getting one of his dumb ideas. He threw an arm over Scarlett's shoulder.

"You've been training right?" He whispered. Scarlett nodded.

"For years to come." Ranma smiled.

"I'll get you that fight." He spoke to Ryoga. "What's the matter, Mr. P? Afraid you'll get beaten by a girl?" Ryoga growled.

"No! What kind of man takes pride in fighting a girl?" Scarlett, fully aware of Ranma's curse, looked at the eternal lost boy as if he was a moron, which he kind of was.

"You do. Ranma is half girl and you fight him even when he's in his girl form." Ryoga sweatdropped. He shook it off and turned away.

"What's wrong Ryoga? Are you afraid you'll hurt such a cute face? Because this cutie is pretty sturdy." Ryoga blushed as he looked at Scarlett.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Scarlett sweatdropped.

"He's right! I have to meet that fiancé you told me about! Come on Ran-Chan!" She announced, dragging her older cousin toward the Tendo dojo. Ryoga sighed. He walked away, unfortunately, the fanged boy landed in a fountain. Jumping out, was little black piglet with a scarf around its neck. It trudged after the two Saotome. Of course, it took a wrong turn.

* * *

><p><em>*Personally, I really enjoyed the Tendo Residence. It was peaceful, when Ranma and Uncle Panda weren't fighting. And I didn't see what was wrong with Akane. She seemed pretty fun to hang around with. I guess Ranma was just stubborn.*<em>

The Saotomes and Tendos were finishing up a great meal cooked by Kasumi.

"Wow Kasumi. That was delicious. You should teach me how to cook sometime." Scarlett stated happily, wiping her mouth with a napkin. Kasumi smiled.

"Why thank you, Scarlett. I look forward to that." Nabiki looked at the red head.

"I know you look a lot like Ranma's girl side, but how are you related, are you his sister or something?" Scarlett put down her tea.

"Well, sort of. My parents died when I was little, so Uncle Panda insisted on taking me in, seeing how I was his sister's daughter. In a way, that kind of makes me Ranma's sister and cousin. This also makes him overprotective when a guy tries to flirt with me, when he's around." She sighed. "I'd say good times, but they were some of the most embarrassing moments of my life."

Nabiki nodded. "So I guess that makes me, Kasumi, and Akane your cousins _and_ sisters-in-laws." Scarlett nodded happily. Akane looked at the redhead.

"Why do you call Mr. Saotome 'Uncle Panda'?" Scarlett smiled.

"Well, when I was little, he always had this fascination with pandas, the name just popped up. He didn't seem to mind so I just stuck with it." She got up and headed toward the door. Ranma looked at her.

"Where're you going Le-Chan?" Pronunciation: Lay-Chan. Scarlett smiled.

"Out for a walk. Don't worry, Ran-Chan, I'll be fine." She then left.

* * *

><p>Scarlett walked around, probably to just get some exercise. It started to rain.<p>

"Oh man." Her hair and bow drooped.

Then she heard a weird sound. It was a combination of a squeal and a hiss. She ran in the direction of the noise. She saw three cats cornering a black piglet. She gasped.

"Hey you walking flea traps, leave that pig alone!" Scarlett managed to scare the alley cats away. She ran over to the injured pig and got on her knees. "You poor thing. Did those mean cats hurt you too badly piggy?" The pig crouched and growled at her.

"Bwee! Bweee!" Scarlett giggled.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you. Here piggy." The pig sniffed at her offered hand. She petted the piglet. She noticed a speckled scarf around its neck. Scarlett remembered something.

_"I have this cute little pet pig. His name is P-Chan, he tends to run off sometimes. If you see him, could you bring him to me?"_ Scarlett looked at the pig. "Are you Akane's pet, P-Chan?" P-Chan nodded with a squeal.

"Bweeee!"

Scarlett picked P-Chan up and held him like a baby.

"I'll take you home to Akane, P-Chan. You must've gotten lost, right? Come on let's go." P-Chan looked at her with a skeptic look on his face. Scarlett looked down at him. She scratched him behind the head. Lightning flashed and thunder clapped. P-Chan covered his ears.

"You scared?" Scarlett said. P-Chan nodded. She kissed him on his head and held him close.

"Don't worry, baby, I'll keep you safe." She cooed. P-Chan blushed. Like Akane, Scarlett wasn't aware of how the cute and cuddly pig in her arms was really the cursed body of Ryoga Hibiki. He felt slightly guilty, using his curse to be around his crush. He didn't mind being held by Scarlett. She had Akane's warmth and comfort, just with a different scent. The rain picked up. Scarlett began to run.

"Times like this you wished you had an umbrella, huh P-Chan?" She stopped. Unzipping her vest to reveal a red tank, she placed Ryoga inside and zipped it slightly.

"That should keep you dry." Afraid of the piglet might slip out, Scarlett held her vest to support him as she ran. Finally making it to the house, she opened the door, now soaking wet. Genma was first to notice her entrance.

"Scarlett, you're soaked!" She smiled reassuringly.

"I'm fine Uncle Panda." She walked up to Akane and unzipped her vest, revealing a sleeping Ryoga. Akane's face brightened.

"P-Chan! Thanks Scarlett." Ranma scowled at the fact that that little swine was inside his cousin/sister's vest. Kasumi frowned.

"You should hurry and take a hot bath before you catch a cold." She nodded. Unfortunately for her, Scarlett's bag was soaked, along with the clothes she had packed inside. Akane, sensing her dilemma, ran into her room to fetch some pajamas. Scarlett bowed and went into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>From Akane's room, the sound of running water had awakened Ryoga. <em>'Where am I?'<em> He checked his surroundings. _'I'm in Akane's room?'_ Entering the room was Scarlett with a towel over her head.

"Thanks again Akane." She noticed a mattress next to Akane's bed. "What's that?" Akane smiled.

"Oh, I thought you should sleep I my room for as long as you're living with us. It's the least I do since you found P-Chan." Scarlett smiled. She sat on the mattress and wrote in her journal which was, thankfully, waterproof. Ryoga crawled onto her bed. Akane watched the little pig curiously. He made a gesture that appeared as if he was bowing while apologetically squealing.

"Bweeee..."

Akane smiled as Scarlett petted the little pig. "That's alright P-Chan. It's not like you made it rain." He nudged her, he crawled onto her pillow and curled into a ball. Akane giggled.

"Looks like P-Chan wants to sleep with _you_ tonight. Well, goodnight. Turn the light off when you're done writing in your journal." Scarlett nodded. She laid on her belly, resting the journal next to Ryoga as she wrote. He was really interested in what she wrote, but didn't dare to read it in chances of it being her _private_ journal. She turned the light off a few minutes later before holding the journal close and falling asleep. Ryoga inched closer to her slightly.

_'She so similar to Akane. At first, I just thought she was violent. But she's really kind and caring. She almost cuter than Akane too.'_ A hour of sleep, Ryoga woke up to a strange sound. He opened one eye to see Ranma and a pot of hot water.

"There you are, you perverted swine." He whispered/yelled.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun dun dunnnnn! Yet another fic. I now have to update four fics. Well, that was entertaining! Stayed tuned for chapter 2, which I shall write after 13 reviews! Or at least until I come up with an idea and become impatient, yep, I'm just strange that way. Bye-bye!<strong> J


	2. Meow! Ryoga's fun and Ranma's jealousy!

**Previously: **_She laid on her belly, resting the journal next to Ryoga as she wrote. He was really interested in what she wrote, but didn't dare to read it in chances of it being her private journal. She turned the light off a few minutes later before holding the journal close and falling asleep. Ryoga inched closer to her slightly._

'She so similar to Akane. At first, I just thought she was violent. But she's really kind and caring. She's almost cuter than Akane too.'_ An hour of sleep, Ryoga woke up to a strange sound. He opened one eye to see Ranma and a pot of hot water. _

_"There you are you perverted swine." He whispered/yelled._

* * *

><p>Ryoga growled. Ranma inched the pot toward the pig-boy. "First you sleep with Akane, then my cousin? You're sick, man." Ryoga shook his head, placing his hooves in front of him, as if trying to explain himself. Ranma took a hold of the pig, but sleeping Scarlett took him back, hugging him. She rolled over, revealing her journal. Ranma looked at the book, curiosity taking over him.<p>

"What's this?" He took the journal. It was orange, Scarlett's favorite color. On the cover were the words: _My Private Journal. As long as you won't touch, won't read, you won't get hurt. _Unfortunately, Ranma was too cocky to let the warning get through to him.

"What's the worse she can do to me? Slap me to death?" Ryoga slowly slid out of Scarlett's grip and growled at him.

"Bwee! Bwee-" Ranma covered his mouth as he opened the journal. He grinned at what he read.

"Hey this part's about today." He read it aloud.

"Today I came to Nerima, Tokyo to see my cousin Ran-Chan and Uncle Panda. While I was on my way to the Tendo Residence, I spot Ranma fighting some boy named Ryoga. I also think Ranma had gain slight hearing loss." Ranma glared at his sleeping relative, Ryoga snickered. "After we meet and greet, Ryoga breaks us up stating they're in the middle of a fight. Then he realizes he was groping me!" Ryoga blushed and sighed, he rather would've enjoyed not being reminded of that. Ranma continued.

"It was so embarrassing. Sure he apologized, but I'm pretty sure he was supposed to let go after that. Ranma and I both insist he should fight me, but he just refuses and asks if we have something better to do. So I drag Ran-Chan in the direction of the Tendo house. That boy Ryoga is such a moron," Ranma grinned and Ryoga instantly began to consider going back to Akane's bed.

"But on the bright side, he's really cute? Ryoga!" A blushing piglet bit into Ranma's hand, _hard._ Ranma held in a scream as he shook the piglet off. Ryoga jumped at Ranma, his prime target the journal. Ranma raised the book, causing the little pig to miss. He growled. _'I don't care if they_ **_are _**_related. That journal is private! If I can't stop him, maybe his cousin and fiancé can!' _He a deep breath in.

"BWEEEE! BWEE! BWEE! BWEEEEEEEE!" Akane and Scarlett woke up. Akane looked in the direction of her pet pig.

"P-Chan? What's wrong? I can't see anything." Ryoga was about to squeal again, then Ranma shoved his hand over his mouth. Akane turned on the lights. As the two girls' eyes adjusted, Akane shrieked.

"Ranma! What are you doing to my poor P-Chan?" Scarlett's eyes trailed up Ranma's arm. She shrieked, no she screamed. Akane looked at her.

"RANMA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY PRIVATE JOURNAL!" Ranma sweatdropped. He placed his hands in front of him in defense.

"You've got it all wrong! I was just taking it away from… P-Chan!" Scarlett stood up, now in the face of her older cousin.

"Yeah right! P-Chan is a pig! Pigs can't read! Then again, you CAN!" She threw a punch toward Ranma, who dodged. Ranma's dodge caused Scarlett to miss and punch a hole in the wall. A _big_ hole in the wall.

"Whoa! Bwee!" Ranma and Ryoga shrieked. Ranma ran out the room. Scarlett ran after him. She poked her head in the room.

"I'll repair that Akane!" She dashed out. Akane blinked. Ryoga ran after the two. Akane ran after him.

"P-Chan, come back!" Ranma dodged punch after punch and kick after kick.

"Come on Le-Chan! Let me explain!" Scarlett landed a hit to the gut. Ranma landed on the ground. Genma, in his panda form, came out. His sign read: _Can't a panda sleep in peace for once? What's going on?_ Scarlett huffed.

"Ranma read my private journal!" Genma looked as if he was glaring, until he flipped his sign: _What'd it say? _Ranma whispered the part about Scarlett thinking Ryoga's cute. Genma appeared to be calm. He went into his room. Akane, who had just joined them with P-Chan by her side, Ranma, and Scarlett, peeked into the room. Genma was pouring hot water over himself. As soon as he was human;

"WHAT! MY LITTLE GIRL IS IN LOVE WITH THAT ETERNAL LOST BOY!" Ranma and Akane were in each other's arms; Scarlett was behind them on the floor, Ryoga in her arms. Both blushing heavily. Genma started ranting about she was not to date until she was seventeen, which was a good year and a half away. Scarlett glared. She pulled a, rather small, mallet from her back pocket. She kissed it; it grew into a huge mallet. She pounded the man. One sentence came out of her mouth.

"I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH HIM!"

_*Overreacting? Eh, maybe. But Ran-Chan read my journal, and then Uncle Panda assumes I'm in love with a guy I just met! What girl **wouldn't** overreact?*_

She held the mallet over her shoulder. "I just think he's cute. Nothing more." Akane looked at her.

"Who's cute?" Scarlett blushed.

"I'll tell you later." She whispered. Ranma whispered.

"Ry-AH!" Scarlett had pounded him extra hard, knocking him out.

"Sleep tight, bastard!" Soun, Kasumi, and Nabiki came out of their rooms.

"What happened?" Kasumi yawned. Scarlett and Akane stepped to together, hiding the unconscious men. They tilted their heads cutely.

"Nothing~" They chorused musically. The trio went back into their rooms. Scarlett and Akane looked at each other. They dragged Genma into his room. Scarlett cracked her back.

"He needs to go easy on the bamboo. Akane, do you have a rope I can borrow?" Akane nodded and gave her the rope from her room. Scarlett pulled on it. "Thanks. Help me get Ranma outside." Ryoga followed with curiosity. Ryoga, Scarlett and Akane were now up in a tree, holding a sleeping Ranma. Scarlett tied the rope around one of his feet. She tied the other end to the tree branch. Once she made sure the rope was secure, Scarlett and Akane slowly lowered him down, and he was dangling over the pond. The girls giggled and gave each other a high-five. Akane took Ryoga and hopped out of the tree, Scarlett following after.

"Nighty-night. Sleep tight, don't let the squirrels bite!" They giggled and ran inside. Akane sat on Scarlett's bed.

"So who do you think is cute, Scarlett?" The red head blushed as she played with her hair. Ryoga was keeping a distance from her, sitting in Akane's lap.

"W-well. It's Ryoga." Akane sweatdropped. Ryoga blushed deeply.

"Ryoga? Is he your type or something?" Scarlett huffed and shook her head.

"My type would be the shy type. Shy, yet strong, and willing to do anything to protect his girlfriend at any costs." Akane nodded and smiled.

"Yeah! That would be Ryoga! Whenever I hear him talking to girls, he has trouble talking." Scarlett frowned.

"Then I guess he doesn't consider me as one of the girls. He talked pretty easily, and he yelled." Ryoga looked at the redhead with worry in his eyes.

_'Did I hurt her feelings? Man, how do girls do that? Make a guy feel guilty for something they didn't mean to do.'_

_*It's a gift, one that I'll find useful as this story continues.* _

Ryoga yawned. Scarlett looked at the pig.

"You tired P-Chan?" He nodded. "It is late, let's hit the hay."

* * *

><p>It was 12 in the afternoon and Ranma's still sleeping. The Tendos, Saotomes looked up at him. (Ryoga had left a while ago) Only two were grinning.<p>

"Just how'd he get up there?" Nabiki asked with a bored tone. Kasumi nodded.

"And how is he still asleep?" Scarlett grinned.

"Well at least it's Saturday. I'll wake him up!" She climbed up the tree, and hung upside down. She showed the group a shiny trumpet. She took a deep breath in and played a random, loud, song next to Ranma's ear.

"AAAHH!" The rope snapped and Ranma fell into the pond. Scarlett jumped off the tree branch and high fived Akane. Out of the pond came girl Ranma.

"Scarlett! Why would you tie me up in a tree and blow a trumpet at me!" She yelled. Scarlett gave her-her irresistible puppy dog face.

"Who me? Why would I do such a thing? Just because you read my private journal!" Nabiki and Kasumi gasped.

"You two sound nothing alike despite appearance." Kasumi stated. Nabiki nudged her older sister. "I mean, Ranma how could you do such a thing!" She scolded. Nabiki sighed before glaring at the pigtailed-girl.

"Reading a girl's private journal is worse than playing them for money! And trust me, I know!" Nabiki shouted. Ranma sweatdropped. "W-well. I-I. It's just that-" Scarlett put her hand in her lookalike's face.

"We're even, but if you tell anyone what you read I'll make sure Kasumi stops feeding you, that goes for you too Uncle Panda!" The two men-err. Man and girl, screamed before anime crying.

"She knows our weaknesses, Pop." The man nodded. Scarlett nodded before slapping her hands together, as if closing a book.

"That's the end of that chapter. I'm gonna change and go to the animal shelter." Akane looked at her.

"Why?" Scarlett smiled.

"P-Chan leaves a lot. So I figured if he has someone to play with, he won't want to leave." Akane nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! Oh, can we get another pet Dad? Please?" Soun sweatdropped as the subject was suddenly in his hands. Knowing it wasn't pretty when Akane was mad,

"Sure Akane. What harm can it do?"

"Akane, do you mind if I borrow some clothes? Mine are still wet." She said, checking the clothes on the laundry line. Akane nodded. She led her to the room. Scarlett went with the white and red dress and hat. (If you want to see it, please go onto and Type in Akane Tendo's red dress, go to images, and you'll know when you see it. It's what I did.) She thanked Akane and left.

* * *

><p>"It's such a nice day today." She bumped into someone. She almost fell backwards when they caught her by the waist. She opens her blue eyes to meet two black ones. She blushed at who it was.<p>

"Ry-Ryoga!" Was all she could choke out. He stood up straight and looked at her, hands still on her waist.

"A-are you Scarlett or Ranma?" She shook her head.

"Scarlett." He blushed. He realized his hands were still on her waist. He immediately let go of her and bowed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to, I swear!" Scarlett's head followed as he bowed up and down, over and over, until she placed a hand on his head. He looked up. Scarlett was smiling that million dollar smile of hers.

"It's fine. I'm going to the animal shelter, wanna join?" Ryoga blushed. He stammered.

"N-no thanks. I-I'm not all that interested." He stood up straight. Scarlett smiled.

"Come on, please? I want someone to come with me. Don't be shy." She took his hand. As if static electricity had shocked them both, they quickly parted. Ryoga didn't look at her.

"F-fine. You know the way?" She nodded.

"Yeah, Kasumi showed me around. Let's go!" She ran ahead of him, Ryoga sweatdropped.

"W-wait!" Scarlett stopped. "I'm bad with directions. If I lose you, I'll probably end up at the other side of town. I could be next to you and end up getting lost!" Scarlett sweatdropped.

"So _that_ must be why everyone calls you the 'Eternal Lost Boy.' I thought they were just teasing you." She thought for a moment. "I'll just have to hold your hand." Ryoga looked at her, a visible blush on his face.

"What?" Scarlett winked at him.

"You said you get lost easily. I'm good with direction, so if you hold my hand, you won't get lost. Come on it'll be fun." She took his hand, ignoring the weird sparky feeling, and ran. Ryoga and Scarlett ran until Ryoga decided to stop. Scarlett was about to ask when she saw the look in his eyes. They were full and alert. He brought her behind him. Then they heard it.

"Pigtailed-girl how I've long for thee-eek!" It was Tatewaki Kuno, and Ryoga just delivered a kick to the face. Scarlett blinked. Kuno stood up. He searched around. "Where has my beloved Pigtailed-girl gone?" He spotted Scarlett next to Ryoga. "My love!" He jumped for her. Ryoga picked Scarlett up, bridal style, and jumped out of the way.

"Hey, stupid, do you see any pigtails around here? Because I sure don't!" Scarlett blinked.

"I see one." Ryoga looked at the girl in his arms. She pointed. "Right there." It was Ranma, girl Ranma. Scarlett jumped out of Ryoga's arms and next to her cousin, holding her dress down so it wouldn't fly. Kuno looked at the two.

"T-two pigtailed girls? Only one doesn't possess a pigtail." The two girls swung their arms over each other's shoulders.

"That's right Kuno. This is my cousin, Scarlett."

_*If it wasn't for the fact that I was fifteen and Ranma was sixteen, and that we don't have the same parents, it would've been almost like we were twins!*_

Now she glared. "Have any reason for picking on my cousin?" Ranma growled. Kuno jumped for the two.

"COME TO ME MY LOVES!" Ranma screamed. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarlett spotted the shelter. She jumped over Kuno, so that he did a face plant to the ground, her foot on his head.

"Nice moves Scarlett." She walked over to Ryoga and took his hand in hers and pointed.

"Come on Ryoga, the shelter's this way!" Ryoga stammered.

"I-I-I! W-well! I, um, o-okay!" They ran to the shelter. Ranma shrieked.

"Hey! You get back here with my cousin, Ryoga!" Then Kuno jumped onto her.

"Oh Pigtailed-girl! Tell me you have not fallen for that simpleton, Ryoga! How my heart is aching!" A harsh kick and he was sent flying.

"Tell it to the foot!" She ran after them. "Ryoga!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Ryoga entered the shelter. Scarlett noticed that it was dead silent, not counting the meows and barks. Scarlet walked in front of Ryoga, she called out to whoever was there.<p>

"Hey, is anyone in here?" No answer. She turned to Ryoga. "Maybe it's closed or something?" Suddenly someone breathed down her neck. "AH!" She hid behind Ryoga. She peeked out to see an old man. He laughed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" Scarlett blushed and nodded. "Hmm, I guess I should've tapped you in a shoulder instead. So, what are you here for? Are you volunteering or adopting a pet?" Scarlett smiled.

"I'm here to adopt a pet. Um, by chance do you think they would get along with a black piglet?" Ryoga sweatdropped. _'She's getting another pet to play with P-Chan, I mean me!'_ The man thought for a moment.

"I know just the pet!" They followed the old man to the back of shelter. They saw three kittens. He grinned proudly. "These little fellas can get along with pigs better than anyone in the shelter. I would know some people bring in pet pigs to see." Scarlett and Ryoga bent down. Scarlett smiled.

"They're so cute! Can we play with them?" The man nodded. He took out the three kittens and put them in the play room. Ryoga and Scarlett entered. Ryoga rolled a ball of yarn and chuckled as the kittens chased the ball. The man came back with a fourth kitten. Scarlett looked at it.

"This little girl was hiding at the back of the cage. She ain't too popular. If she doesn't get a home soon, I might have to put her down." Ryoga looked at the kitten. It cowered down. Scarlett punched him on the head.

"Ryoga, stop it! You're scaring it!" He rubbed the bump on his head. She pushed past him and gave the kitten a gentle smile. "Here kitty. It's alright, here kitty." The kitten sniffed her hand. She petted her. "Awe. She's just like P-Chan." The cat had big blue eyes, a fuzzy black body with white paws and the tip of the tail white. The kitten purred against her hand. Ryoga looked at the kitten.

"Why don't you get this one? She seems to like you and I'm sure P-Chan will like her too." Scarlett nodded.

"I'll take this one." She signed the papers and walked outside. "I'll be waiting out front. That's assuming you can find your way to the door." Ryoga growled. He walked toward the door; the old man placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Your girlfriend seems to be a lovely lady, you take care of her Lad." Ryoga blushed. He was about to protest when the man pushed him out. Ryoga cursed under his breath as he didn't see the redhead. He was about to call her when:

"Meow." The kitten she adopted had meowed in his ear. Ryoga jumped. He turned to see Scarlett holding the kitten up.

"Scared ya!" Ryoga glared at her.

"Did not! Anyway, what are you going to call this fuzzball?" He asked, stroking the kitten under her chin. Scarlett looked into the kitten's eyes.

"Eyes as beautiful as the full moon… I'll call you Miyu. Beautiful moon. Like that name?" Miyu meowed. Scarlett grinned, she took Ryoga's hand and ran. They ran as Scarlett asked Ryoga something. "You remember yesterday?" Ryoga nodded.

"Y-yeah. What of it?" She looked at him curiously.

"You had no trouble talking to me. Now all of a sudden, you start stuttering, stammering when you look at me. But when you don't look and talk to me, you're fine. What's the deal?" Ryoga blushed, he looked away.

"I-I don't know. I think it has to do with the fact that you act so much like Akane." Scarlett tilted her head.

"Because I'm like…?" She brightened. "You love her! You love Akane!" Ryoga blushed. He covered her mouth.

"Be quiet! You want all of Japan to hear you?" Scarlett shook her head, he released her. She grinned evilly as she saw some Akane's friends.

"Hey there, girls! I have a gossip topic for you!" Ryoga looked at her nervously. The girls came up to her.

"You're Scarlett right?" Scarlett nodded.

"Right. I'm Scarlett Saotome. Akane's cousin in law. Want to hear something funny?" The girls nodded. Scarlett pointed at Ryoga. "You see this guy here?" The girls nodded. "You met him before?" They shook their heads.

"No." Scarlett smirked.

"His name is Ryoga Hibiki. And he's in love with," Ryoga shrieked and then covered her mouth. She bit it, causing him to let go. "Akane Tendo." The girls gasped.

"Really!" She nodded.

"Spread it around and especially to guys who like her too!" The girls nodded and ran off giggling. Ryoga's jaw dropped.

"I can't believe you just did that! Why did you do that?" Scarlett glared.

"I'm helping you, stupid. I can already tell that you're too shy to admit that you love her yourself. So why not have other people do it for you? Even though Akane's engaged to Ranma, that doesn't mean she can't date, since their too stubborn to admit that they love each other. So why not enjoy the time that conflict lasts? I also did it to see what happens." Ryoga blushed and hugged the girl.

"You did that for me? Thank you so much!" Scarlett blushed. She parted from him and smiled nervously.

"Y-yeah. Just for you, buddy. I'm gonna go show Miyu to P-Chan and Akane. See ya, Ryoga." She ran from him. Ryoga sighed. Now how's he gonna find his way?

* * *

><p>"Akane! I have someone who'd like to meet you~" Scarlett sang. The youngest Tendo looked at her. She showed her the kitten.<p>

"Oh no, not a cat!" Scarlett frowned as Miyu's ears drooped.

"You don't like her?" Akane held her hands up defensively.

"It's not that, it's just that-" Boy Ranma had come from upstairs. He spotted the cat and fell backwards.

"Ah!" Scarlett walked up to him.

"What's wrong Ran-Chan?" He pointed at Miyu.

"C-c-cat!" Scarlett nodded.

"Yes, cat. This is Miyu. Isn't she cute?" She held Miyu up to him. "Wanna hold her?" Akane squeaked.

"Scarlett don't!" She looked at the bluenette.

"What? It's just a cat, what's the worst thing that could happen?" Then she heard it.

"Meow!" She looked at her cousin. He was on all fours, arched back as if he were a cat hissing.

"R-Ran-Chan?"

"Meow!"

* * *

><p><strong>I know I said I would update AFTER 13 reviews, but I also said I might get another idea or impatient. But it doesn't matter since I updated right? =^-^='<strong>


	3. Ryoga Kun's mistake and Ranko's loss!

"Meow!" Ranma stepped toward Scarlett. She stepped back.

"A-Akane? What's up with Ranma?" Akane sweatdropped.

"I tried to tell you. Ranma's afraid of cats. And his mind makes him suddenly think he is one. In this state, he becomes impossible to beat. All this because your 'Uncle Panda' tried to teach him the stupid technique, Neko-ken, one too many times. Anyone who attempts to learn this gains a serious fear of cats." She stated. Scarlett jumped over Ranma.

"So he turns into a cat?" Scarlett grinned. She took out a flash light. She turned it on. Ranma suddenly became interested in the light on the wall, he pounced on it. Akane sweatdropped as her cousin in law laughed.

"Oh this is rich. Follow the pretty light, Ranma." She led Ranma in the hall in front of the pond. Akane followed, shaking her head and sighing. She got on her knees and patted on her lap.

"Here Ranma." She made those kissing noises that some people use to attract cats. Scarlett got on her knees and looked at her.

"What 'cha doin'?" Akane smiled.

"In order for Ranma to turn back to normal, he needs to be on the lap of someone he trusts. This apparently means me." Scarlett frowned.

"But he's so cute and fun as a cat." She petted Miyu as she went to her side. Ranma hissed as he jumped onto Scarlett's lap. He hissed at Miyu and she hissed back. Scarlett blinked.

"Um…? Isn't it _your_ lap he's supposed to go on?" Akane sweatdropped and chuckled.

"I _did_ say people he trusts. But I think it's a good thing, if I'm not around when he turns into a cat, you might be around and can stop him." Scarlett glared at her older cousin before grudgingly petting him as if he were a cat. Ranma purred before falling asleep.

"Ah! Why'd he fall asleep?" Akane chuckled nervously as she scratched the back of her head.

"Hahaha, did I forget to mention that he, sometimes, needs to fall asleep for a minute or two?" Scarlett glared at her. After one minute, Ranma's eyes snapped open as he blinked. He looked up to see a smiling Scarlett.

"You're not a cat?" She asked. Ranma nodded. "You sure?" He nodded again. "Great! Then…" She raised a hand and slapped him, _hard. _"GET OFF OF ME!" Ranma was sent flying into the wall. On his cheek was a _dark_ red hand print. He touched it before wincing at the lingering pain.

"What 'cha do that for?" Akane was watching, eating a bag of popcorn coming from the unknown. With some unknown strength, Scarlett picked Ranma up over her head before tossing him into the pond.

"Next time stay on Akane's lap!" Girl Ranma emerged from the pond and glared.

"What is with you girls and your sudden changes in mood?" She shouted. Scarlett glared before walking up to her.

"Meow!" She hissed. Ranma screamed and fell backwards, into the pond. "Moron. Come on Akane, let's go shopping. Miyu can stay here and keep Ranma company." She stuck her tongue out and walked away.

* * *

><p>Akane looked at Scarlett as she examined some pants made from China.<p>

"Hey Scarlett? I don't mean to be rude or anything, but why'd you come here anyway?" Scarlett frowned at the price before looking at the bluenette.

"Hmm? What? Oh, you know how Ranma has to pretend to be your cousin, Ranko Tendo, whenever his mom comes for a visit?" Akane nodded. "Well, she's coming over soon and Ranma says she's getting suspicious of Ranko and him being the same person. So I have to pretend to be Ranko until she leaves. This means I'll have to put on a pigtail sometime soon, maybe today." Akane sweatdropped.

"So you're gonna pretend to be Ranma, I mean Ranko? Is that why you're shopping for Chinese clothing?" Scarlett nodded.

"Yep. So get used to calling me Ranko Tendo, Akane." Akane sweatdropped.

"You're not worried about her recognizing you?" Scarlett shook her head.

"We've never met." She smiled at an orange cheongsam. (You know those outfits Shampoo tends to wear? Look them up.)

"This is cute. I love the cherry blossom design, what do you think Akane?" Akane smiled as she pushed the girl into the changing room.

"Try it on." She came out stepping into some white flats and Ranma's signature pigtail. Akane smiled. "It looks great on you!" The store clerk came over.

"That'll be 2,000 yen." Scarlett nodded and handed over the money, putting her original clothing of a long-sleeved shirt and short skirt into a bag. The two girls giggled as they walked out of the store. Akane spotted a familiar face.

"Look Scarlett! It's Ryoga!" Scarlett blushed; she remembered the rather… awkward moments they shared. The groping, the hug, the waist catching, stuff like that.

"R-Ryoga? Who's Ryoga?" He spotted them and ran up to them.

"Hey, Akane!" Akane pointed at him.

"Him. Ryoga. You know, the guy you think is cu-" Scarlett cut her off with nervous chuckles as Ryoga stopped in front of them.

"Hahaha! Oh you meant _that_ Ryoga! Well I gotta go, bye!" Akane grabbed her pigtail. "Ow! Let go, you don't see me pulling on _your_ pigtail!" Akane raised an eyebrow.

"I don't wear a pigtail."

"Exactly why you don't see me pulling it!" Akane sighed. Ryoga went into a fighting stance.

"What's wrong Ranma, trying to run from me?" Scarlett sweatdropped as she landed face first as Akane released her pigtail. She began backing up, placing a hand in defense.

"Y-you've got it all wrong! I'm not Ranma! I'm Scarlett!" Scarlett looked around, she saw someone boiling water for tea. She took it. "I'll bring it back." She poured it over her head. "See! I'm a 100% girl!" She announced. Ryoga stood out of his stance. Scarlett looked at his arm, noticing he was hiding something behind his back. She pointed at it.

"O-oh this?" He walked up to Akane. "H-here Akane. I-I got you these roses, sorry they're yellow. Th-the store was out of the red ones." Akane took the bouquet.

"They're beautiful." Scarlett looked at the flowers with a look of envy in her eyes. _'Why do I feel so jealous that Akane got flowers from Ryoga? Oh, please don't tell me it's that!'_

_*It was that exact moment that I'd realized it. I had a crush on Ryoga Hibiki. Life was pretty tough after that, that boy just kept showing up!*_

Ryoga looked at her and smiled. He pulled out an orange rose. (They exist. Trust me, they _do_ exist. ^-^)

"Here, I got you one too. I heard you liked the color orange." His eyes widened at what he said. "N-not that I was asking around or anything!" Scarlett gently took the flower, a tint of pink on her face.

"Thank you." Akane smiled at the sight. She pushed them together and wrapped Ryoga's arms around Scarlett's waist.

"You two would make an adorable couple!" Scarlett looked at her with a deep blush. "I mean, it's a little weird that you look just like Ranma, but you two seem to make it work." Scarlett looked at Ryoga, hoping he wasn't looking back. To her relief and somewhat dismay, he was looking at Akane with a surprised, yet hurt, expression in his eyes. Akane didn't see it, but Scarlett did.

"He doesn't like me that way…" She whispered so quietly it was barely heard by her own self. She pushed Ryoga off of her. "I don't like him like _that_!" Akane blinked, and then she grinned.

"But you admit that you _like_ him?" Ryoga blushed. Scarlett crossed her arms.

"Yes." Her eyes widened. "I mean no! I mean yes! I mean- oh I don't know!" Akane sweatdropped.

"Mrs. Saotome!" Akane shrieked. Scarlett and Ryoga's eyes darted around. "Right there!" A brown haired woman emerged from a taxi. She spotted them.

"Hello there! Akane, and is that you Ranko? Oh you two look lovely." Akane and Scarlett smiled.

"Nice to see you again Mrs. Saotome." They said. Mrs. Saotome noticed Ryoga. (Anyone know her first name?)

"Ryoga? Is that you? I haven't seen you for so long! My have you grown." She sweatdropped. "You're still bad with direction aren't you?" Ryoga sweatdropped.

"It all depends. Are we uptown?" The three females sweatdropped. Akane shook her head.

"Downtown, Ryoga." Ryoga chuckled.

"Then yes." The girls sighed. Akane whispered in Scarlett's ear. She shook her head quickly. Akane gave her the death glare. Scarlett took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, clapped her hands in front her and bowed.

"Ryoga do you want to stay at the dojo and have dinner with us?" She asked quickly. Scarlett opened one eye. Ryoga blinked, he nodded.

"Sure, Scarlett." Mrs. Saotome raised an eyebrow.

"Scarlett? Her name is Ranko, why are you calling her Scarlett?" Ryoga looked at Mrs. Saotome weirdly.

"Because that's her name-Ow!" Scarlett stepped on his foot and grinded it. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Scarlett's my nickname. I have scarlet hair, so Ryoga calls me Scarlett! Although as of now, he will start calling me Ranko!" Ryoga sweatdropped. Akane whispered in his ear. He made an 'o' with his mouth.

"Sorry, Ranko. Well let's go." They all walked in the direction of the Tendo Residence, then Ryoga made a right turn instead of left with the group. Seconds later, Scarlett came stomping after him, and came running back hand in hand. Akane and Mrs. Saotome sighed. "S-sorry." Scarlett growled as they ran after the two.

"I can't believe you weren't kidding when you said you could get lost while walking right next to me!" As they caught up with the, rather fast walking, ladies, Scarlett was out of breath and was now leaning on Ryoga while holding onto his arm. Neither of them seemed to notice. That is, until Mrs. Saotome decided to speak up.

"Ranko," Scarlett looked at her. "Why didn't you tell me Ryoga was your boyfriend?" Scarlett and Ryoga blushed as she snapped her head up.

"What makes you say that?" She pointed at her hands. Scarlett looked. She turned red as blood and quickly separated. She walked ahead of them. Mrs. Saotome giggled.

"I was only kidding Ranko. Don't be so jumpy. Oh look, there's the house." Scarlett sighed in relief as she ran toward the house. She noticed that Ranma was still in his girl form. She snatched the pot from Genma, in his panda form. Ranma looked at her. She poured the water over her.

"Idiot, your mom is here!" Kasumi overheard them.

"I see, well, it's a good thing I prepared a lot of food, enough to feed ten!" Akane entered with Ryoga and Mrs. Saotome. She examined Ranma and Ranko.

"There goes my suspicion of you two being the same person. Where's Mr. Panda?" Genma walked over. A piece of bamboo in his mouth. Scarlett leaned over to Akane.

"Mr. Panda?" She whispered.

"You're pet panda, 'Ranko'." Scarlett nodded. Miyu purred against Mrs. Saotome's leg. She looked at the black ball of fluff.

"Oh, how cute! Whose kitty is this?" Scarlett and Akane raised their hands. "So she's both of yours?" The two sweatdropped.

"Technically she's mine, but Akane is the main reason I got her." Akane nodded. They all sat at the table, Ranma sitting between Ryoga and Scarlett. He noticed the orange flower in her hand.

"Hey Le- I mean Ran….San! Ran-San! Where'd you get that flower?" Scarlett realized he was talking to her and looked at the flower.

"I never noticed it was still in my hand…" Ranma tilted his head.

"What?" Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Nothing!" She thought about what would happen if she told him.

**_"Ryoga! How dare you flirt with my cousin! You're dead!" Ryoga went into a fighting stance. _**

**_"What're you gonna do about it!" Ranma gave Ryoga a punch to the face, kneed him in the gut and then-_**

Scarlett shook her head. She didn't want to continue that thought. So she said:

"Kuno gave it to me!" Ranma growled. Then, the doorbell rang. Ranma opened the door.

"Ah, Ranma Saotome. Be a gentleman, if that's possible, and fetch Akane Tendo, the pigtailed-girl, and the pigtailed-girl's cousin for me." It was Kuno. Scarlett, Akane, Mrs. Saotome, and Ryoga peeked through from the other room.

"Oh I'll fetch you something!" He punched Kuno and the fight was on. Scarlett closed the door behind them. Ryoga looked at her.

"Why didn't you tell him I was the one who gave you the flower?" Scarlett sighed and opened the door; Kuno was slammed into the wall. He jumped back outside, only to get slammed again. He jumped outside only this time, Scarlett had closed the door and a loud thud was heard.

"You wanna be in Kuno's place?" Ryoga shrugged.

"I'm a _way_ better fighter than Kuno. Why do you care anyway?" He asked, arching an eyebrow. Akane and Mrs. Saotome grinned at her.

"Yeah? Why do you care Ranko?" They teased, poking her cheeks. Scarlett frowned. She folded her arms and turned her head.

"Ryoga _happens_ to be one of our two guests, so I was simply being polite by keeping Ranma from pounding him to a pulp. That's all." Mrs. Saotome and Akane looked at her skeptically. Scarlett sweatdropped. "I swear that's all!" They all walked to the dining room, where Kasumi has prepared rice with pickles, chicken dumplings, and, of course, tea. Mrs. Saotome and Scarlett smiled at the taste.

"This is delicious Kasumi. Well done." Kasumi smiled.

"Thank you Mrs. Saotome. I'm glad you like it."

* * *

><p>It was almost sundown, and Scarlett was nowhere to be seen. Akane looked at Ryoga.<p>

"Ryoga, have you seen Ranko? We can't find her anywhere and Mrs. Saotome wants to say goodbye." Ryoga shook his head.

"I haven't seen her anywhere. I can look for her if you want me to." Mrs. Saotome walked over and shook her head.

"There's no time. My plane leaves soon. Please give her a big kiss for me when you see her." She walked toward the door with Akane at her side.

"You weren't really gonna give her that were you?" Mrs. Saotome chuckled.

"Nope." The two women giggled. Thirty minutes later, Ryoga was searching for Scarlett. He sighed and looked up to see the said redhead on the roof; she had taken out her pigtail, her hair now straight and curly once more. Ryoga jumped onto the roof, landing in front her. Scarlett looked at him, surprise written all over her face. Ryoga sat next to her. She was staring into the sunset.

"Hey there, Ryoga. Is somethin' wrong?" Ryoga shook his head. He noticed that she had the orange rose in her hair.

"E-everyone was looking for you." She smiled.

"Well, I've been here this whole time. Did my auntie leave?" Ryoga nodded.

"Why are you up here?" Scarlett looked into the sunset, taking in its beauty. She smiled.

"I always watch the sunset on top of something, whether it's on top of a tree or houses, I always watch the sunset when I have the chance. I've done it since I was a little girl. Don't tell anyone, promise?" Ryoga nodded. He smiled at her.

"You're a strange girl." Scarlett glared at him.

"How so?" Ryoga grinned at her.

"It's just that, you change quickly. One minute your peaceful, next thing I know you're ticked off at the smallest comment. You're just strange." Scarlett huffed.

"Yeah, that's called being a girl. You're a strange boy." He raised an eyebrow. "You're shy, but you're a fierce fighter. I've heard of shy people with attitudes, but never have I heard of a shy martial artist. Plus, you have ridiculously large teeth. It's pretty strange." Ryoga frowned at her. Scarlett looked at him and giggled.

"Don't worry. You may be strange, but I like you." She blushed. "A-as a friend." Ryoga blushed. No one had ever said they liked him, even if they liked him as a friend before. "Can I call you Ryoga-Kun?" He nodded. He blushed and looked away from her. Scarlett frowned. "Ryoga-Kun? What's wrong? Was it something I said?" Ryoga looked at her before quickly looking away.

"Mrs. Saotome asked me to give something to you." Scarlett smiled.

"Really? What?" Ryoga gulped.

"Are you sure you want it? It's not really that good of a gift." Scarlett nodded eagerly. Ryoga frowned. "C-close your eyes." She blinked before nodding and closing them. Ryoga took a deep breath in before kissing Scarlett, full on the lips. Scarlett's eyes had snapped open. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what was happening in that exact moment. But when she did, she smacked Ryoga, leaving a really dark handprint on his cheek. His head was arched to the side. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were filled with angry and sad tears. She jumped off the roof before running into the house. Ryoga sighed.

"I told her it wasn't that good of a gift."

_*Man, life was tough after that. I felt bad for slapping Ryoga-Kun, but not at that exact moment.*_

Scarlett ran into Akane's room before she began crying into her pillow. Akane looked at her worriedly from her bed.

"What's wrong, Scarlett?" Scarlett cried some words into her pillow. Akane sighed. "You realize I can't hear you well, right?" Scarlett didn't look at her when she spoke.

"I-I lost i-it." Akane frowned.

"You lost what? What did you lose?" She asked fearing the worse.

"M-my, my first k-kiss!" Akane sighed of relief.

"Thank goodness, I thought you were talking about your virginity." She realized what Scarlett said. "Wait, your first kiss? That's just as bad! Who took it?" _'Please don't say who the name of the person I think you're talking about!'_ Scarlett cried.

"I-it was R-Ryoga-Kun." Akane's eyes widened.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that went well! It was fun to write, tell me what you think! Lates! *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose* =^-^=<strong>


	4. Little Sister's Complicated Honor!

_Ryoga took a deep breath in before kissing Scarlett, full on the lips. Scarlett's eyes had snapped open. It took her a couple of seconds to realize what was happening in that exact moment. But when she did, she smacked Ryoga, leaving a really dark handprint on his cheek. His head was arched to the side. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were filled with angry and sad tears. She jumped off the roof before running into the house. Ryoga sighed._

_"I told her it wasn't that good of a gift."_

*Man, life was tough after that. I felt bad for slapping Ryoga-Kun, but not at that exact moment.*

_Scarlett ran into Akane's room before she began crying into her pillow. Akane looked at her worriedly from her bed._

_"What's wrong, Scarlett?" Scarlett cried some words into her pillow. Akane sighed. "You realize I can't hear you well, right?" Scarlett didn't look at her when she spoke._

_"I-I lost i-it." Akane frowned._

_"You lost what? What did you lose?" She asked fearing the worse._

_"M-my, my first k-kiss!" Akane sighed of relief._

_"Thank goodness, I thought you were talking about your virginity." She realized what Scarlett said. "Wait, your first kiss? That's just as bad! Who took it?" _'Please don't say who the name of the person I think you're talking about!' _Scarlett cried._

_"I-it was R-Ryoga-Kun." Akane's eyes widened._

* * *

><p>Akane frowned.<p>

"Ryoga kissed you?" Scarlett nodded. "O-oh, I'm sorry to hear that. W-well, at least the person who kissed you was cute, r-right?" Akane asked nervously. Scarlett glared.

"It's not about looks, Akane! I wanted my first kiss to be special!" Akane flinched. "He didn't kiss me because he loved me. He kissed me because Mrs. Saotome told him to…" She whispered. Akane and Scarlett both heard a scratching sound. They looked at the door; they saw fuzzy white paws under it, as if whatever was on the other side was trying to get inside. Then they heard it.

"Bwee! Meow!" Akane opened the door. There was a fuzzy black and white kitten and a black miniature piglet with a scarf around its neck.

"Miyu! P-Chan!" The two girls squealed as the animals jumped into their arms. Ryoga was all hyper and happy, that is, until he looked over Akane's shoulder to see Scarlett's sad, tear stained face. His ears flattened.

"Bwee…" Akane looked at him.

"P-Chan? What is it? Why do you look as if you're guilty of something?" She asked worriedly. Scarlett smiled and looked at him from her bed. She wiped her tears.

"P-Chan shouldn't feel guilty. Ryoga-Kun should." Miyu screeched as Scarlett's grip tightened on her. "Whoops! Sorry Miyu." She let the kitten explore the room. "Anyway, P-Chan's not Ryoga-Kun. He didn't steal my first kiss." Ryoga felt like he was going to faint.

_'I stole her first kiss? No wonder she's so upset'!_

Akane struggled as Ryoga tried furiously to get out of her grip. He finally escaped and jumped onto Scarlett's bed. He bowed up and down as he squealed apologetically.

"Bwee! Bwee! Bwee!" He continued his actions until he felt a finger on his head. He looked up to see Scarlett smiling.

"You poor baby. You don't have to feel guilty for what Ryoga did. And if it makes you feel better, I'm not really mad at him anymore." Akane smiled. She jumped onto Scarlett's bed and took her hands.

"You aren't!" Scarlett sweatdropped and nodded cautiously.

"No. I'm just gonna erase the kiss from my mind like it never happened." Ryoga sighed in relief and decided it would be best to just mess with Miyu. The girls chatted that night and soon fell asleep with their respective pets in arms.

* * *

><p>Scarlett woke up to a bad attempt of playing a trumpet song. She opened her eyes and held her head. She glared.<p>

"Ranma! What're you doing with my trumpet?" An aquamarine dress and a white shirt were thrown at her. It was the Furinkan High School uniform for girls. "What's this?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "You're going to school with me, Akane, and Nabiki. That's the school uniform for girls."

"Okay, now leave." Scarlett said. Ranma raised an eyebrow. Scarlett took Miyu from the scruff of her neck and shoved her in Ranma's face. He screamed and ran out the room. "Thanks Miyu. Go get something to eat from Kasumi. Try not to go near Ranma." The kitten ran out the room. Scarlett changed into her uniform. She brushed her hair and curled the ends. She put a blue bow in her hair to go with the uniform. Scarlett ran down stairs to see Ranma and Akane were in yet another argument. She looked at Kasumi.

"Did Ranma call Akane 'uncute' again?" Kasumi nodded with a giggle.

"They're so silly with their little quarrels." Scarlett nodded with a sweatdropped.

"Yeah… silly's the word." She stated with a nervous chuckle. _'More like stupid.' _Akane looked at her.

"Scarlett, have you see P-Chan anywhere?" Scarlett shook her head. Ranma scoffed.

"P-Chan was probably got tired of seeing your uncute face and decided to leave."

Akane glared. "Stop calling me that!"

Genma gave Scarlett her bag.

"Thanks Uncle Panda." Kasumi pointed to the clock. She handed Scarlett her trumpet. She caught the hint. She took a deep breath in and played a jazz tune. Nabiki had looked at the group. The tune had caught everyone's attention.

"Kasumi says it time to go." The group nodded and ran toward the door.

"I suggest you take you're trumpet with you. Just in case." Scarlett nodded and shoved the instrument into her bag and running after the trio.

* * *

><p>Half way toward the school, Scarlett had finally caught up with Nabiki, Ranma, and Akane.<p>

"What took you so long, Le-Chan?" Scarlett shrugged

"Something came up." They ran into the school... Well, except Ranma who happened to meet up with someone. Scarlett stood in front of the class.

"Our new student is coming here from China. Let's give a big 'Ni-hou' welcome to Scarlett Saotome, younger cousin of-" Just as the teacher said that, Ranma came bursting in the room. "Ranma Saotome!"

He sweatdropped and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry Teach'! I was just-" He noticed Scarlett looking at him, blinking. "Hey, Le-Chan! You're in this class too?" Scarlett blinked and nodded. Ranma grinned. He dragged her to the hall. The teacher sighed.

"He's lucky we're in homeroom." Scarlett looked at her older cousin/brother. Ranma placed a hand on Scarlett's shoulder.

"I need a favor. Can I trust you?" Scarlett smiled sincerely.

"Yeah. What is it?" Ranma gave her a stern look.

"Little Sister's Honor?" Scarlett's eyes widened.

"Is it _that_ serious? The 'Little Sister's Honor' promise is more powerful than the 'Martial Artist's Honor' promise!" Ranma nodded. Scarlett smiled and held her hand out. "Alright. Little Sister's Honor." Ranma shook it.

_*I regretted that move for a while. In a second, you'll know why.*_

"I need you to pretend to be Ryoga's girlfriend." Scarlett's eyes widened. Ranma took his hand out of Scarlett's, he waved it in front of her face. "Le-Chan? You in there?"

_'Pretend to be Ryoga-Kun's girlfriend… Pretend to be Ryoga-Kun's girlfriend. Pretend to be Ryoga-Kun's girlfriend? Pretend to be Ryoga-Kun's girlfriend!'_ Scarlett soon stepped out of her trance.

"PRETEND TO BE RYOGA-KUN'S GIRLFRIEND! ARE YOU INSANE! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!" She boomed. By then, some of the students and Akane had been listening. A battle aura surrounded Scarlett as she poked Ranma's chest with every step. "Listen here, and listen well." Ranma gulped as he was pressed against a window.

"O-Okay." Scarlett's aura increased with each word.

"I don't want to be Ryoga-Kun's girlfriend. And you better have a pretty _damn_ good of a reason for thinking that I would!" She barked as she grabbed his collar and looked him in the eye. Ranma laughed nervously.

"I-I have a great reason!" Scarlett waited, her patience decreasing with every passing second. "Y-you know how Kuno has the hots for the Pigtailed-Girl?" Scarlett looked to the side to see that several students were listening. She glared at Ranma.

"What does this have to with me?" She hissed. Ranma scratched the back of his head.

"Well, I promised her that I'd help her get rid of Kuno! So I came up with the idea that she should pretend to date some guy to get Kuno to leave her alone! But of course, she wasn't up to the idea of dating some guy. So I thought it would be a great idea if you were to _pretend _to be the Pigtailed-Girl, since you look just like her, and date some guy, you'd be able to get her free of Kuno! And since the only guy you seem to know is Ryoga, he's your only choice. So will you do it?" A vein popped and throbbed on Scarlett's head, Ranma could've sworn that he saw a fire in her eyes.

"Ranma, for real or for pretend, it isn't happening! And there's _nothing_ you can say that will make me change my mind!" She barked. Ranma smirked.

"You gave me the 'Little Sister's Honor' promise." Scarlett's eyes widened. Akane smacked her forehead. Scarlett hung her head, her bangs hiding her eyes. She released Ranma's collar, growling and clenching her fists.

"Fine. But only if Ryoga-Kun agrees. And if I find out that you forced him, you'll never see the light of day again." She growled softly. Ranma nodded.

"Deal. I suggest that you get used to acting like a couple as much as possible with him, even without him knowing yet. Okay?" Ranma asked softly. Scarlett could tell that he felt apologetic, but he needed this. She nodded. They entered the room.

* * *

><p>Scarlett was now styling Ranma's signature pigtail. The school was at the beginning free period. She was on a tree branch it was about five to eight feet off the ground. Akane and her friends looked up sympathetically. Even Nabiki felt somewhat bad for her. Ranma walked up to her tree.<p>

"Le-Chan? I need to talk to you." Scarlett sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry about this, but I need your help to get rid of Kuno!" Scarlett nodded and showed a peace sign.

"I understand Ranma. Don't worry. If this is as important as you say it is, then I'm willing to help you." Ranma thanked her and went to chat with the guys. Scarlett hopped out of the tree, holding her dress down and sighing.

Akane looked at her, worry spread all over her face. "Are you okay with this Scarlett?" Scarlett shrugged.

"Not really. But I made a promise, and I intend to keep it. Beside, I'm sure Ryoga-Kun won't agree to the whole thing." Nabiki looked to the side.

"Speaking of Ryoga, there goes your fake boyfriend now." The group of girls looked to see the fanged lost boy. As usual, he was trying to find out where he was. Nabiki nudged her forward. "Let's see you work your acting magic." Scarlett glared before taking a deep breath in.

"Ryoga-Kun!" She called with a wave. Ryoga looked in her direction. His mouth twitched as he saw her running toward him. Expecting a fight, he was extremely surprise to have to switch from a fighting stance, to a stance preparing to catch the girl as she jumped into his arms, hugging him.

"Ranma, what're you doing?" Scarlett looked at him, as if she was on the verge of tears. Ryoga flinched. "What's wrong with you, Saotome!" Scarlett buried her face in his chest.

"I can't believe you can't tell the difference between me and my idiot of an older cousin!" She cried. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"S-Scarlett? I'm so sorry! I-I didn't know! Are you pretending to be Ranko again?" Scarlett smiled. She held onto his arm.

"No. I just decided to style a pigtail." She saw Ranma watching. She shivered. She looked up at Ryoga and smiled charmingly. "Would you like to have a picnic with me after school?" Ryoga blushed.

"A picnic? W-with y-you? I-is anyone else c-coming?" Ryoga gulped as she looked at him with those gorgeous blue eyes of hers. She rested her head on his shoulder and giggled.

"Nope. It's going to be just you and me…" She purred. "Doesn't that sound nice? I'll bring the food and everything." Ryoga thought for a moment.

"That _does_ sound nice…" He said, looking at the sky. Scarlett's eyes shimmered in the sunlight.

"You'll go?" She asked, somewhat hopefully. Ryoga blushed and nodded. Scarlett smiled with a feint blush. "It's a date!" She stood in front of him and pecked him on the cheek, mere centimeters away from his lips. "Bye Ryoga-Kun! Meet me at the dojo!" She called over her shoulders as she walked toward her friends. Ryoga felt the spot where she had kissed him and gave a small wave.

"B-bye Scarlett!" When he walked away, his walk was slightly robotic. Nabiki looked at Scarlett, looking slightly impressed.

"Did you just seduce him?" Scarlett held her head.

"Truthfully… I have no idea what I just did. All I know is that I have a date with Ryoga-Kun and that I need to lie down."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile… Ryoga looked into the lake. His reflection was blushing, same as him.<p>

"I'm going on a date with Scarlett." He felt excited, and confused. "Why do I feel so excited? It's not like I'm going on a date with Akane! Does it have to do with the fact that Scarlett asked _me_ out and even _kissed _me?" He looked at the sky, as if expecting it to anwer his questions.

Unknowingly, he and Scarlett shared the same thought.

_'What's wrong with me? And what does he/she have anything to do with it?'_

* * *

><p><strong>Huh. Entertaining. Well, how will the 'date' go? And what's with all the confusion? You'll find out! Maybe after 10 or 13 nice reviews. ~Meow!~ *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose!* =^-^=<strong>


	5. I might be going to Jusenkyo

Scarlett paced back and forth in front of Kasumi's room.

"Kasumi-San?" She called, knocking on the door. The door opened seconds later.

"Yes Scarlett? You look flushed, is something wrong? Please, come in." Kasumi said calmly. Scarlett checked the halls before entering and quickly closed the door.

She took a deep breath in. "It's about Ryoga-Kun. You see, I might've asked him out on a date. But in a way, it wasn't me who asked him. And now he's expecting a date with me, but I've never had a date before! So I don't know what to do!" Kasumi held a finger to her chin and nodded. She smiled.

"I understand! You're afraid you'll mess up on your first date with your new boyfriend, Ryoga!" She somewhat shouted. Scarlett blushed deeply.

"Shush! Don't be so loud! Or-" Genma suddenly burst into Kasumi's room; he had a pot of hot water.

"Ranma, m'boy. What've you gotten yourself into?" He sighed while pouring water over Scarlett's head. He looked at her to see that she hadn't changed. "What? Why haven't you changed yet?" He continued to pour it over her!

"Ah! Stop! It's too hot! Quit it, you dumb old man!"

"Yo, Pops! What're you doing to Scarlett?" Genma turned around to see boy Ranma. He turned to see an angry Scarlett. With a quick movement, Scarlett punched the two out Kasumi's room. She huffed.

"I'm not sure who's a bigger doofus, father or son?" Kasumi giggled. Scarlett gave her a pleading look. "Kasumi-San, please, you have to help me! When I said it wasn't me asking Ryoga-Kun out, I meant it was me pretending to Ranma's girl side, but at the same time being me, because I promised Ranma I'd help him get rid of Kuno by convincing him that the Pigtailed-girl had a boyfriend! Of course, Ranma isn't going to date some guy, because he's a guy, so since I'm his girl side's doppelganger, I have to pretend to go out with Ryoga-Kun because he's the only guy I know! But Ryoga doesn't know that right now, but he will soon! But when he does, he's gonna end up thinking I'm just as bad of a person as Ranma! And-and, he'll think that I'm toying with his feelings, a-and… Oh Kasumi, I-I don't know what to do!" She collapsed onto the floor and began to cry. Kasumi frowned.

"There, there. Don't worry, just do what you think is right. Ranma will understand if you can't bring yourself to do this. Just go on the first date and see how it goes. What type of date is this?" She asked, sincerely. Scarlett blushed, she poked her fingers together.

"It's just a casual date, at the end, we'll have a picnic." Kasumi clapped her hands.

"A picnic? How sweet. I'll prepare some food, you get dressed." She instructed. Scarlett nodded and went to Akane's room.

* * *

><p>Scarlett rummaged through her clothes and sighed.<p>

"I know I had a yellow dress in here…" Then she heard it.

"Nabiki, where did you get that dress?" It was Akane's voice.

"I got it from your room. You won't mind if I borrow it, right?" Nabiki asked.

"I wouldn't, but there's one problem," Nabiki looked at her. "That's not my dress." Akane sighed.

"I should've known!" Scarlett growled. She ran downstairs and snatched the dress from Nabiki.

"Hey!" Nabiki cried. Scarlett glared at her.

"This happens to be _my _dress, Nabiki! I was looking for it!" She stuck her tongue out at her and ran upstairs. As Scarlett entered the room, she saw Miyu giving her a curious face. Scarlett gave the kitten a scratch behind the ear. She got dressed and studied herself in a mirror.

"Maybe I should go without the bow. Oh, that reminds me." She pulled something from her bag. It was a small, red bandana. She tied it around Miyu's neck. "It looks great on you. Miyu, when I leave, give Ranma hell for me." The kitten tilted her head. "Play with him, don't leave his side until I come back." Miyu nodded. Kasumi called for her.

"The food is done!" Scarlett came downstairs. The food was already in a basket. She heard a smashing sound from the dojo. Scarlett bowed.

"Thank you Kasumi-San." She went to the dojo with Miyu by her side. "Hey, Akane. What're you doing?" Akane smiled, she was in her gi.

"I'm breaking these cinder blocks. Want to try?" Scarlett nodded. She raised her hand before smashing the two blocks in front of her. "Nice one, Scarlett." Scarlett took a tomato from her basket. She placed it on top of three blocks.

"I wanna show you something I learned in China." She placed a hand on the tomato, she made a small movement, and the blocks broke in half. Scarlett snatched the tomato and held it out to Akane.

"It's not damaged! How'd you do that?" Akane asked, clearly astonished. (I saw it in a movie.)

"I had to train to learn it. I can teach it to you sometime, if you want." Scarlett offered. Akane nodded.

"Maybe later. Wanna spar?" She Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

"But, who knows when Ryoga will come?" Akane smiled.

"Don't worry, knowing him, he probably won't show up until tomorrow." Scarlett laughed with the bluenette.

"That's so mean! But okay. I'll be back." A few minutes later, Scarlett came back in a bright orange gi. (Akane's training outfit is called a gi, so just picture girl Ranma wearing a bright orange one.) "All right Akane, I'll give you the first move!" Akane nodded before charging toward the girl, throwing punches with rhythm. Scarlett dodged each one before catching her arm. Akane threw another punch with her free hand. Scarlett released Akane before she jumped over her and kicked her from behind. Scarlett threw punch after punch, and kick after kick, with Akane dodging each one. Scarlett suddenly switched to a low kick, sweeping Akane to the ground. Akane looked up, but didn't see the redhead.

"Where'd she go…?" She asked herself as she stood up. Scarlett snuck up behind Akane and poked the back of her head. Akane turned around. Scarlett laughed softly. Akane laughed with her. "You're good. Hey, you could be my sparring partner!" Scarlett nodded.

"Sounds like fun. See ya later, Akane!" She ran off.

Akane smiled. "She's totally in love with Ryoga if she's this excited for a date. That or she doesn't want to offend Ranma…" Miyu meowed. "Oh hi, Miyu! Where'd you get that bandana?"

* * *

><p>Scarlett waited for three hours, which Ranma found strange. Scarlett raised an eyebrow.<p>

"What's so strange about that? You said he gets lost easily. It's only natural that he would be late." She stated.

"That's the thing. Ryoga has a _date,_ because of that; he should've been here by now. When it comes to a date, Ryoga's navigation skills increase by at least 5%, he should've been _two_ hours late instead of three." Ranma sighed. Scarlett frowned.

"Should I go look for him?" Ranma shrugged.

"If you want, just keep an eye out for perverts at this time." It was two hours to sundown.

"I'm a martial artist too, you have to remember that!" Scarlett huffed. Ranma patted her head and sighed.

"Yeah, but sometimes you get so scared, you _forget_ that." Ranma stated. Scarlett glared.

"That only happened once, and I still managed to get away untouched!"

Ranma smirked. "Because _I _saved ya!" He stated with pride.

Scarlett scoffed. "I wouldn't be acting so _high and mighty _if I were you. After all, _I'm_ not the one who uses _his_ girl side to take advantage of _guys_!" Ranma gasped at her. She stuck her tongue out and walked out.

* * *

><p>Scarlett was roaming Nerima, searching for the lost boy.<p>

"Ryoga…! Ryoga-Kun! You out here?" She called. Suddenly, P-Chan ran by, for some reason he had a large bag and umbrella on his back. Scarlett sweatdropped and called out to him. "P-Chan! Here, P-Chan!" Ryoga stopped dead in his tracks. He looked back slowly. His eyes widened. Assuming it was Ranma, he began to growl. Scarlett walked up to him. She looked at him with the only thing that could separate her from girl Ranma: Her soft and gentle eyes. She removed the bag and picked him up.

"You're covered in dirt. I'll take you home and give you a nice hot bath." Ryoga's eyes widened. It wasn't Ranma. He began to squirm. "Hey, P-Chan! What's wrong?" He squirmed even more and began to get dirt on Scarlett and her dress. "Ah! *Sigh* I guess we're taking a bath together." He shook his head quickly. "Of course! I'll scrub your back if you scrub mine." She walked toward the dojo, she brought the bag and the umbrella with her. As she entered, Nabiki noticed her presence.

"What happened to _you_?" She asked. Scarlett looked over herself before scratching the back of her head.

"P-Chan was all dirty. But when I said he was going to take a bath, he began flailing like crazy and got dirt all over me. So now we're taking a bath together." She explained. Nabiki nodded.

"I hope you enjoy cold baths. The hot water has turned off so we'll be stuck with cold water for a while." She announced with a bored tone. Ryoga calmed down slightly, before remembering that he still had to take a bath with a girl. He began to flail. Scarlett frowned.

"No you don't! You're taking a bath rather you want to or not. If you don't, you'll attract fleas or something." Walking into the bathroom Scarlett closed the door and put Ryoga down. She let the bathtub fill up and untied Ryoga's scarf. She began to undress. Ryoga quickly turned around.

_'I'll take the bath; I just won't look at her!'_ He thought. Unfortunately, when Scarlett had picked him up, she had turned him around, and he had a _pretty_ good view of her breasts. He shut his eyes, his face was incredibly red. She entered the tub. They both shivered at how cold the water was. Once Scarlett had adjusted to the water, she began to scrub Ryoga. She smiled.

"You know what's really weird, P-Chan?" He snorted. "You have the same eyes and scarf as Ryoga. And you're also bad with direction. It's almost as if you two are the same person!" His eyes snapped open!

"Bwee!" He cried.

Scarlett chuckled. "Yeah, that's silly! But it would explain why you and Ryoga are never in the same place at once… Nah! It's not like Ryoga-Kun fell into 'The Spring of Drowned Black Piglet' in Jusenkyo. I doubt that spring even exists! Right P-Chan?" Ryoga nodded quickly.

_*Ironic, isn't it? I always knew Ryoga had a curse, I just never found out what it is. I still think it's has to do with P-Chan, but I'm not that motivated to find out.*_

"Speaking of Ryoga-Kun… he's really late for our date today. Do you think he ended up in China like Ranma said he might be?" She asked to mostly herself. Ryoga sweatdropped and snarled slightly.

"Bwee!" Scarlett grinned. She cleaned herself up before getting into her pajamas. Okay, her pajamas were in the laundry so she was just wearing some loose gym shorts and undershirt. She opened the door to Akane's room. She was already asleep with Miyu by her side. They blinked.

Scarlett looked down at Ryoga. "She's asleep early. I guess she's taking a catnap with Miyu. Looks like you sleeping with _me_ tonight." Ryoga shrieked. "Come on, let's go onto the roof."

* * *

><p>Ryoga sat in Scarlett's lap on the roof as she wrote in her journal. She had taken out her pigtail, hair being once more straight and curly. Finishing up with her writing, she began to draw something. Several minutes later, she finished and tore the page from the journal.<p>

"What that?" Scarlett jumped and dropped the page and it blew away.

"Hey! Not my drawing!" She tried to grab it, but she missed and it landed into the pond, but not before flipping and revealing a perfectly sketched picture of Ryoga. It slowly sank to the bottom. "Oh man! I was gonna give that to Ryoga-Kun, too…" Scarlett whined. Ryoga frowned. Scarlett growled and clenched a fist. "Who are ya, anyway!" She turned around to see a girl with purple hair.

"Ni-hou Ranma! You no recognize Shampoo?" Shampoo cheered. Scarlett blinked.

"Sh-Shampoo? Is that your name?" Shampoo felt Scarlett's head.

"Ranma? Is you feeling good? Why you no remember Shampoo?" Scarlett blinked.

"I'm Ranma?" She asked pointing to herself. Ryoga squealed. Shampoo looked at him.

"Oh! Ranma? Why you hold Ryoga like that?" His eyes widened. Scarlett raised an eyebrow. This girl was strange.

"Ryoga's here?" Scarlett asked. Shampoo nodded and pointed at the piglet in Scarlett's hand.

"Piglet is Ryoga." Ryoga began to growl. Scarlett laughed.

"Gee Shampoo, I like you!" She stated.

Shampoo eyes widened. "Ai-ya! Ranma like Shampoo, too?" She asked with a blush. Scarlett giggled.

"I don't see why Ranma wouldn't. You tell funny jokes! P-Chan isn't Ryoga-Kun. He's a pig!" Ryoga jumped out of her arms and into the house. "P-Chan! Where are you going?" Shampoo panicked.

"Aiya! Ranma, you hit head!" She cried. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Ranma didn't get hurt today!" She stated with a chuckle. Shampoo picked Scarlett up bridal style and jumped off the roof. "Hey, put me down!" She opened the door and saw human Ryoga, Nabiki, and Kasumi all watching TV. Once she saw the fanged boy leaning against the wall, she glared.

"You!" He looked at her. "You reason why Ranma be acting so weird!" Scarlett and Ryoga blinked with confusion. She walked up to Ryoga and shoved Scarlett into his arms. "You fix Ranma, or Shampoo make sure you breathe through tube!" Ryoga appeared unaffected. Scarlett looked at her.

"Shampoo, Ranma is a boy. I'm 100% girl!" She cried as Ryoga put her down. He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded in agreement. Shampoo gasped.

"Is worse than Shampoo thought! Stupid Pig-boy! Fix Ranma now!" Scarlett sighed.

"You're not a bright one are you?" Ryoga chuckled. Scarlett blushed and looked at her hands as she poked her index fingers together. Out of nowhere;

"Ryoga! I hope you know you're late!" Out of surprise, and reflex, Ryoga held Scarlett protectively. "Ryoga!" It was Ranma. The two looked at each other before quickly separating from one another, blushing madly. Shampoo shrieked. She walked up to Ranma and Scarlett.

"Ranma…and…Ranma?" Scarlett blinked.

"I've found the answer to my previous question." She sighed. Ryoga snickered. She held a hand out to Shampoo. "My name is Scarlett Saotome. I'm Ranma's younger cousin." Shampoo smiled and hugged her.

"Aiya! That mean you Shampoo's cousin-in-law! You meet Shampoo's great-grandmother now!" Scarlett sweatdropped.

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not really dressed to go outside. And what do you mean, 'Cousin-in-law'?" Shampoo smiled.

"Ranma no tell you? Ranma is Shampoo's future husband." She explained. Scarlett glared at Ranma. He froze on the spot, he knew he was gonna have a little chat with Mr. Mallet later.

"Alright, I'll go, just let me get dressed." She went into Akane's room. Moments later, she came back wearing her orange cheongsam. Ranma pushed Ryoga toward them.

"Take Ryoga with you. Who knows what the old ghoul will have in store for ya when ya meet her. Just make sure you don't lose him on the way to the door." Ryoga was about to punch the living hell outta Ranma if Scarlett hadn't took his arm.

"Don't let him win Ryoga-Kun." She said. He blushed and nodded. As they left;

"Catch ya later, Pork-butt!" Ranma called. Ryoga came back, slower though as Shampoo and Scarlett was pulling on both hands.

"Ranma, you take that back!" He began to pull them along.

"Come on Shampoo, pull harder!" She ordered. Shampoo pulled harder.

"You no much help either!" She retorted. They managed to pull him out of the house.

* * *

><p>As they headed toward the Cat Café, Ryoga took a right turn. Shampoo looked at the slightly exhausted Scarlett.<p>

"Scarlett, Ryoga make wrong turn again." Scarlett groaned loudly. She dragged her feet as she walked after him. She took his hand.

"Ryoga-Kuuunnn…" She whined. He looked at her. "I'm tired of having to go after you every time you make a wrong turn. Just follow Shampoo, please!" Ryoga blinked as she swayed.

"H-have you eaten today?" He asked with concern.

Scarlett shook her head. "I skipped lunch because they didn't have anything I liked at school. And I missed dinner when I went to look for you when you were late for our date." She leaned on him and closed her eyes. "Going after you so many times has made me tired." She shook her head and walked toward the waiting Shampoo. "Okay… let's go…"

She held onto Ryoga's arm, so she wouldn't have to go after him. As they walked, Scarlett began to fall. Ryoga and Shampoo caught her. Shampoo felt her head.

"She have high temperature. Ryoga we go to Cat Café now!" He nodded, putting Scarlett on his back and running after the purple-haired girl. They quickly opened the door. "Great-grandmother, I home!" A _seriously_ old lady came, hopping on a type of cane.

"Welcome Shampoo. You look frantic, what's wrong?" She asked. Shampoo pointed at Scarlett.

"She pass out on way here! Her temperature is too, too high. She need food quick!" Cologne nodded and went into the kitchen. She came back with a bowl of noodles and smelling salt. She zipped the salt past Scarlett's nose, immediately waking her up. She dazed a bit.

"Ooh… my head…" Ryoga sat her down as Shampoo placed the noodles in front of her. "Thank you…" She said as she finished the bowl. Cologne looked at her.

"You're not my son-in-law. Who are you, child?" She asked.

"I'm Scarlett Saotome. Ranma's blood cousin and adopted sister. Nice meeting you." Cologne nodded.

"Okay then. That makes you my daughter-in-law." She stated. Scarlett looked at the group around her before looking at Shampoo.

"Shampoo? How exactly did Ran-Chan become you're _fiancé_?" She asked. Shampoo smiled.

"Ranma defeat Shampoo in combat. Amazon law say Shampoo have to marry man outside of tribe if he defeat her. So Ranma is future husband, and Shampoo love him." Scarlett nodded. Cologne studied her.

"Do you study martial arts?" She asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yeah…" She answered skeptically. Cologne smiled somewhat.

"I wish to ask you a favor." She looked at Ryoga. "Privately." Ryoga eyed the old lady with suspicion in his eyes.

* * *

><p>They walked home in silence, Scarlett hanging onto Ryoga's arm. He looked down at her.<p>

"Hey," He asked suddenly. Scarlett looked up at him. "What did the old lady say to you?" Scarlett's eyes shimmered in the moonlight; she looked down with her eyes before turning her head.

"It's something I think everyone should know about…" She stated quietly. "Especially Ranma and Uncle Panda…" Ryoga frowned.

"Did she say something that upset you?" He asked. Scarlett shook her head. "Then why are you being so quiet!" He shouted as they stood in front of the house. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Scarlett, I know something's up, why won't you tell me!" Scarlett sighed.

"I wanna tell you _and_ my family." She opened the door. Everyone was in the living room when they entered. Genma, in his panda form, held up a sign.

_'Eh? Scarlett you seem upset. Is something wrong?'_ It read. Scarlett smiled. She and Ryoga sat down. _'Are you gonna tell us what's wrong or what?'_ Scarlett nodded.

"It's just that Granny; she… wants me to go on a training trip…" Ranma blinked and shrieked as Miyu purred against his leg. He hid behind Genma.

"That's the problem? Big deal!" He said. Scarlett shook her head.

"It's _where_ she wants me to go that's the problem." Kasumi looked at her worriedly.

"Then where does she want to take you?" She asked. Scarlett sighed.

"She wants to take me to… Jusenkyo. And I'm starting consider going." Their eyes all widened.

* * *

><p><strong>That<strong>**'s the end of _that_ chapter. Scarlett might be going to the cursed springs. I think I'll let her, but I'm not sure what she'll be cursed to be. Maybe you guys can help me! What should she turn into? ****~Meow!~ *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose!* =^w^=**


	6. Almost there! Ryoga? What the Hell?

**Previously: **_They walked home in silence, Scarlett hanging onto Ryoga's arm. He looked down at her._

_"Hey," He asked suddenly. Scarlett looked up at him. "What did the old lady say to you?" Scarlett's eyes shimmered in the moonlight; she looked down with her eyes before turning her head._

_"It's something I think everyone should know about…" She stated quietly. "Especially Ranma and Uncle Panda…" Ryoga frowned._

_"Did she say something that upset you?" He asked. Scarlett shook her head. "Then why are you being so quiet!" He shouted as they stood in front of the house. He placed his hands on her shoulders. "Scarlett, I know something's up, why won't you tell me!" Scarlett sighed._

_"I wanna tell you and my family." She opened the door. Everyone was in the living room when they entered. Genma, in his panda form, held up a sign._

_'Eh? Scarlett you seem upset. Is something wrong?'__ It read. Scarlett smiled. She and Ryoga sat down. 'Are you gonna tell us what's wrong or what?' Scarlett nodded._

_"It's just that Granny; she… wants me to go on a training trip…" Ranma blinked and shrieked as Miyu purred against his leg. He hid behind Genma._

_"That's the problem? Big deal!" He said. Scarlett shook her head._

_"It's where she wants me to go that's the problem." Kasumi looked at her worriedly._

_"Then where does she want to take you?" She asked. Scarlett sighed._

_"She wants to take me to… Jusenkyo. And I'm starting consider going." Their eyes all widened_

* * *

><p>Genma appeared calm. He got up and into the kitchen. Three seconds later, he rushed back with an empty pot off hot water.<p>

"THAT OLD GHOUL WANTS TO TAKE MY LITTLE GIRL TO JUSENKYO? RYOGA WHY DID YOU LET HER ASK THAT! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Ryoga stuttered as he tried to explain. Scarlett glared at Genma and stood in front of Ryoga in a fighting stance.

"You leave poor Ryoga alone! Granny wanted to talk to me in private! Ryoga had no choice but wait outside! He helped me out on our way to the cat café! So I think you should be grateful, not blaming him for anything!" She turned her head and gave Ryoga her million dollar smile. "Don't worry Ryoga-kun. It's not your fault at all." He blushed and gawked at her.

"N-no one has ever stood up for me like that…" He whispered. Scarlett winked at him.

"No problem. We're friends aren't we?" She asked. He nodded at her. She glanced at her uncle. "Look, I'm going, but if it makes you feel better, I don't care if I fall into a spring." She assured.

"How will that make me feel better…?" Genma was suddenly splashed with cold water. He grunted. Scarlett handed him a stalk of bamboo.

"If you let me go, I might ask Shampoo to give you a week of free bamboo noodles." Genma nodded. "So we have a deal?" He held out a paw. Scarlett shook it. "I knew that would work! All I need to motivate you is food. I'm leaving tomorrow in the afternoon." She walked outside and jumped onto the roof. Ranma went after her.

"Hey, Le-Chan? Are you really up for Jusenkyo? If you get a curse, you might not be able to change back without diving into the spring I fell into. How are you going to find that if you do?" He warned. Scarlett shrugged.

"I'm not gonna worry about it. Maybe I'll fall into the spring of drowned cat like Shampoo. Then I can give you hell if you annoy me. Or maybe I'll turn into something really cute. Like a puppy or something." She pondered the thought.

"You make it sound like you _want_ to fall in a spring!" Ranma shouted. Scarlett waved it off.

"Nah. I just want to tell you that _if _I fall into a spring, I'll be O.K with it." Ranma sighed in defeat. "Don't worry I'll try not to fall." She assured. Ranma smirked.

"I just have one request." Ranma announced. Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "I'll let you go to Jusenkyo, if Ryoga sleeps in Akane's room with you guys."

…

A loud scream was heard as Ranma was tossed into the pond. Everyone rushed toward the source of the noise. Scarlett grabbed her mini-mallet and kissed it, making it grow in size. She slammed it right on Ranma's head. The group winced at the girl's cry of pain. Scarlett pounded her over and over. With each pound she said one word.

"You! Are! Such! A! Pervert! How! Dare! You! Suggest! Akane! And! I! Share! A! Room! With! Ryoga! Kun!" With one final, and extra hard, whack, she had Ranma barely conscious. She held her mallet over her shoulder. "Where's your self-respect? Aren't you supposed to be the overprotective sister! You know! The one who supposed to protect me from boys! Not the one who wants me and his fiancé to share a room witha boy? Just for that, I'm going to Jusenkyo for sure!" She rose the mallet once more! "Take this!" She tried to slam it down, but found that she couldn't. She turned around to see Ryoga was holding her mallet. "Hey!"

"If anyone is finishing Ranma off, it's gonna be me!" He declared. Scarlett scoffed.

"No way, Ryoga-Kun! Ranma is _my_ brother _and my _cousin _AND my_ sister! If anyone is knocking her out, it's me!" She retorted. Ryoga glared at her.

"No way, Scarlett! I'm knocking him out!" They glared at each other. Scarlett snatched her mallet from him. She grinned.

"Alright then. Well flip a coin. Heads means I knock her out. Tails means you do." Scarlett offered. Ryoga nodded. Ranma babbled some inaudible words of disagreement. Scarlett took out a five hundred yen coin. She flipped it. It landed on tails. "Awe man! Fine, a deal's a deal. But at least use my mallet." He was about to take it when Akane ran in between them and took his hands.

"Ryoga, please don't! With your strength, you might put him in a coma!" She shouted. He blushed and nodded. Scarlett dropped her mallet. They looked at her. She was shivering with her head bowed down so her bangs could hide her eyes. She ran into the house. Akane gasped. "Scarlett, hold on! You have the wrong idea!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett was in the dojo, in her gi, in front of a stack of four cinder blocks. She smashed them with haste. She smashed some more. This was her fifth stack. She panted before collapsing to the floor.<p>

"I'm so stupid… thinking he would like me… He loves Akane. I just need to get over it! Because I'm better than THAT!" She smashed another stack and she also left a dent in the floor. "Oops… I'll fix it later. My hand is feeling sore…" She heard Akane laughing at something Ryoga said. Scarlett growled. She smashed one last stack, this time with five cinder blocks. "Oooowwww!" Ryoga and Akane ran up to her.

"Are you alright, Scarlett?" Ryoga asked while taking her hand to study it. "What happened?" Scarlett blushed and snatched her hand from him. She winced at the pain from the sudden movement.

"I'm fine! I just smashed too many blocks with the same hand! I'm gonna go pack!" She got up and walked out. She poked her head through the door and stuck her tongue out. Ryoga blinked.

"W-was it something I said?" He asked. Akane sighed.

Meanwhile…

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" Scarlett growled as she packed her bag with a couple clothes that should last her a week or two. She sat on her bed and continued to pack. "I haven't even been here that long and already my life is a living hell! And all because of some stupid boy!" She ended up ripping a shirt. "Awe man! This was my favorite!" She began to rummage through her bag. "Where's my sewing kit…" She took it out and began to sew her shirt. "Ow! Son of a-! Ooh! Stupid needle! On my injured hand too! Can this get any worse?" She asked herself.

"Meow?" Scarlett looked to the side to see Miyu lying on her side on Akane's bed as she looked at her. Scarlett sighed. Miyu jumped off of the bed and onto Scarlett's head. "Mew?" Scarlett smiled as the kitten jumped from her head to her lap.

"Umm… Miyu? I'm not sure if you understand me or not, but, when I come back, I might not be the same anymore. You'll still like me, right?" She asked. Miyu purred. Scarlett smiled. "You're such a good kitty… You always calm me down. Well, I guess I'll buy you a new toy while I'm in China, right?" Miyu nodded.

"Mew!" The kitten purred against her. She ran out the room to see if Kasumi had anything for her to eat. Scarlett smiled and finished sewing up her shirt.

"Such a good kitty…" Her eyes widened. "Awe man! Please don't tell me I'm one of those lonely people who rely on _cats_ for friendship! Oooohhh! I'm even talking to myself!" She let her head fall onto her pillow. Scarlett felt someone place a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head from her pillow. She blushed at who it was before putting up a scowl on her face.

"What do you want, Ryoga?" She grunted.

"What happened to calling me 'Ryoga-Kun'?" He asked, he sounded somewhat hurt. Scarlett grunted in response. Ryoga sighed. "I'm sorry…" He announced. She looked at him through the corner of her eye.

"For what?" She asked grumpily.

"For a lot of things. Like missing our date." He said. Scarlett blinked and turned to the side.

"You didn't miss it. We had our date. You know; walking to the Cat Café, me going after you, you carrying me, and us eating together. It was weird but I enjoyed it. Although I always pictured having my first date with a boyfriend instead of a friend who happens to be a boy." She stated with a sigh.

Ryoga tilted his head and lied on his belly next to her. "What exactly is the difference between a boyfriend and a friend who's a boy?" He asked. Scarlett's face turned redder than her hair.

"Well… A friend who's a boy is just that. A friend who's a boy. A _boyfriend_ however, is _much_ more. You see… A boyfriend is um… a boyfriend is… How do I explain this without confusing both of us…? Oh! A boyfriend is a guy who's in a committed relationship with a girl who really, really loves him with all her heart, and the guy loves her back." She explained. Ryoga sighed.

"Being Akane's boyfriend would be nice…" Scarlett growled quietly.

"Why do you love Akane anyway! Isn't there _any_ other girl you like?" She fumed. Ryoga blinked at her.

"Well there is one girl…" He stated. Scarlett nodded eagerly. "Her name is Anna. She's a country girl I met during one of my training journeys. But I ended up leaving her for Akane." Scarlett punched him on the head. "Ow! What was that for! I answer your question and you hit me? You little-! Scarlett? Why are you crying?" He asked as he sat up. Scarlett shook her head.

"I'm not crying!" She cried. Ryoga looked at his hands, they were a little dirty. He was about to do something that might deliver a chat with Mr. Mallet.

"I can't believe I'm gonna do this." Scarlett looked at him. He leaned in really close, so close that Scarlett could feel his breath. Ryoga then… licked her cheek? Scarlett blushed deeply. Ryoga smacked his lips. "Salty… you're such a liar! Why are you so upset?" He demanded. Scarlett blinked before crying harder. "Okay… Maybe that wasn't the best idea…" Akane walked by. She looked at them. "Help me!" He mouthed. She walked on as if she never saw this. Ryoga sweatdropped. He hesitated before pulling Scarlett into a hug. "I'm really sorry. I-I didn't mean to make you sad… so please stop crying!" He apologized. Scarlett glared up at him.

"I'm not crying because I'm sad!" She shouted. Ryoga took his hands off of her.

"You're not?" He asked. Scarlett glared as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"No! I'm crying because I'm frustrated!" She cried while smacking him off her bed. Ryoga massaged his cheek where she had hit him.

"Well, why are you frustrated then!" He demanded. He noticed that Scarlett's cheeks were tinted pink. He smirked and held his head in his hand. "I get it! You're jealous of my love for Akane!" Scarlett flushed. She clenched a fist. She clapped her hands together, and turned to the side.

"Oh Akane… You don't know how much I love you! Every time I think about you only makes me love you more! I-I-I wish I could tell you these words myself… but I, Ryoga Hibiki, am too much of a shy _idiot_ to say it!" Scarlett shouted in a mocking voice. "Why would I be jealous over _that_? You aren't worth being jealous over! You're a shy, dense, rude, _idiot! _You couldn't tell if a girl loved you even if she admitted it to you with a megaphone next to your ear!" She shouted with more tears. The fanged boy blinked.

"Hey, I would too!" He retorted. Scarlett growled. She tossed him out of the room. She glared at him as she had a hand on the door.

"Just stay away from me, Ryoga!" She slammed the door. Ryoga blinked.

"Well… that went well…" He sighed.

* * *

><p>New day!<p>

Scarlett was walking toward the Cat Café, after finally convincing Ranma to let her go; she had left first thing after breakfast.

"Jusenkyo, Jusenkyo. I'm going to Jusenkyo~" She sang. She continued on. "Avoid the springs, stay out of the water, you might just turn into an otter~" She giggled. "That's dumb! Otters are great swimmers! Then again…Mousse _did_ fall into the spring of drowned duck. How do ducks drown anyway?"

"That's what I've been wondering too." Scarlett turned around.

"Hi Mu Mu-Chan! Are you going to Jusenkyo with me, Granny, and Shampoo-Chan?" She asked. Mousse nodded. "Cool. So, are you gonna try to find the spring of drowned man?" Mousse shook his head.

"I would, but there are so many springs, what are the odds of me finding it?" He sighed. Scarlett frowned.

"You'd never know if you don't try." She stated. It started to rain, and soon, there was a duck in front of her. Scarlett sighed. She folded the clothes and picked them and Mousse up and walked toward the café. She looked down at the duck. "You should start carrying an umbrella, like Ryoga does." Speaking of umbrellas, a red one hovered over her. Scarlett and Mousse looked to the side to see Ryoga was walking next to her, the umbrella over Scarlett's head, he was smiling.

_'Good thing I borrowed that special soap from Shampoo, or I'd be one wet pig right now.' _(You know that one episode; 'Ryoga's miracle cure. Hand over that soap!' I think that's the name, where Ryoga accidently used Shampoo's magic soap and he wouldn't change? That's what he means.)

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She continued on, walking faster. Her grip on Mousse tightened slightly. Ryoga walked after her.

"I'm sorry Scarlett. About yesterday." He stated. Scarlett gave him a look so sharp, it could cut steel. Ryoga flinched.

"Tell me Ryoga. Do you even know _why_ I'm mad at you?" She asked with a _lot_ of venom in her tone. Ryoga held a finger to his chin. He sighed in defeat.

"No…" He sighed. Scarlett growled loudly as a battle aura rose.

"THEN YOU AREN'T SORRY YOU JERK!" She snatched the umbrella with one hand, closed it and smacked Ryoga with it.

"Ow! Not even Akane can carry my umbrella. How are you so strong!" He asked. Scarlett glared at him deeply and her grip tightened.

"When I'm mad, my strength increases… Hey! Don't change the subject! If you don't know why I'm angry at you, then why are you apologizing?" She demanded. Tears formed in her eyes. "You're just trying to toy with me aren't you!" She demanded, her squeeze on Mousse increased.

"Quack! Quaaaaack!" He shrieked. Scarlett looked down.

"Sorry Mu Mu-Chan! I forgot I was holding you!" She loosened her grip on him. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"You realize your 'Mu Mu-Chan' is Mousse right? Not your pet duck." He stated. He didn't feel like he should tell her this. He was doing the same thing with Akane. Scarlett growled and hit him with his umbrella.

"Don't you think I know that! Mu Mu-Chan is my nickname for Mousse!" She looked at her watch. "Ah! We're gonna be late!" She tossed the umbrella at Ryoga before running toward the café. Suddenly Ryoga changed shape.

"Bwee?" _'I don't believe this! Shampoo gave me a fake! Then again, this is something she would do…'_ He charged after them.

"Granny, Shampoo-Chan! We're here! Also do you have any hot water?" Scarlett called as she entered the café. Cologne came hopping on her cane with a pot of hot water.

"Here we go." She began to pour the water over him. Scarlett shook her head.

"No wait! Not yet!" Too late! She fell over from the sudden weight in her arms. She landed on top of Mousse with spirals in her eyes.

"Um… S-Scarlett?" Mousse asked nervously. She opened her eyes to see her head resting on a bare chest.

"Wha…?" She turned extremely red as she looked up to see he was on top of a naked Mousse. "Mu Mu-Chan…?" She squeaked before hopping off of him and scooting away. "Put your clothes on!" She tossed them at him with her eyes closed tight. He changed quickly.

"Safe to look now… Scarlett?" She was in a corner, curled up in a ball with her eyes covered as she rocked back and forth.

"What has been seen…cannot be unseen…" She whispered a couple times. She took a deep breath in. "Okay… I'm good now. Granny! Next time wait 'till I put Mu Mu-Chan down! I don't EVER want to have to repeat that!" She shouted. Cologne poked the side of her neck. Scarlett blinked before slowly collapsing into Shampoo's arms. She was asleep.

"That should keep her out until we reach China. Ahhh. The power of pressure points shall never seize to amaze me." Cologne sighed. Shampoo groaned.

"Scarlett is too, too heavy. Mousse, you carry Scarlett for Shampoo?" He nodded happily. He'd do anything for Shampoo. Ryoga had snuck into Scarlett's bag, bringing his soggy clothes in with him. "We go China now Great-grandmother?" She asked. Cologne nodded.

"Yes Shampoo. And Mousse, if you so much as to dare drop my daughter-in-law," She squinted her eyes. "We'll be having roasted duck for dinner." Mousse gulped. Ryoga was shocked.

_'What a brutal old lady. Well, guess I should sleep now, I'll be bored to death if I do anything else.'_ He moved as he tried to get himself comfortable, he found a book. He shifted, he felt a flashlight. He used his snout to turn it on, and he picked it up with his mouth. _'This is Scarlett's private journal!' _He looked at it hesitantly. _'I have more self-respect than to read a girl's diary...! Maybe there's something about Akane in it though… like, maybe she told Scarlett what she looks for in a guy… and Scarlett may have written it down… I'll just make sure!'_ He used his hoof and opened the book to this week.

_Dear journal,_

_Well, I'm going to Akane and Ranma's school now. I met up with mine and Ranma's childhood friend, Ukyo. During my introduction to the class, Ranma pulls me into the hallway and asks me for a favor. Before I find out what it was, Ranma made me give him the Little Sister's Honor Promise, which I was stupid enough to do. So once I figure out what it is, I instantly regret it! Ok… Here goes… He's wants me to pretend to date Ryoga-Kun!_

Ryoga dropped the flashlight from his mouth. _'She only pretended to like me!' _He picked the flashlight up and continued to read.

_I was totally against the idea, but Ranma reminded me that I had promised him. I would only agree fully if Ryoga-Kun agreed, but I don't know if Ran-Chan has even told him yet! I felt so guilty when I had asked Ryoga-Kun out, he looked so happy, and that made my heart totally sink. I was toying with his feelings. I didn't want to but I had no choice. I asked Kasumi-San for help, she said to go on the date and see how it goes, then decide if I wanted to continue my promise. The date was not really a date, but I enjoyed it, I just hope Ranma's told Ryoga, and I hope he forgives me. Also, Ryoga licked me! _

_Sincerely,_

_Scarlett Saotome._

Ryoga gasped._ 'She only pretended to like me? I thought she was my friend! But she was only faking…'_ He thought sadly. _'To believe… I also thought that we would…Right before she left, I wanted to… No! I'm loyal to Akane! And only Akane! But she hasn't shown any signs of loving me back. Could it be that she only sees me as her friend and pet?'_ He thought as he fell asleep.

Days later, somewhere in China…

"We set camp here Great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked. Cologne nodded.

"Yes Shampoo, do you want to share a tent with Daughter-in-Law?" She asked.

Shampoo waved it off. "Shampoo no think so. Scarlett like her personal space. Shampoo not sure why." She answered while setting up Scarlett's tent. "Alright Mousse. You put Scarlett in here now." Mousse nodded and put the sleeping Scarlett inside and laying her down before exiting the tent. As soon as he was sure that everyone was asleep, Ryoga climbed out of Scarlett's bag. He looked at the sleeping redhead.

He walked up to her. He was then pulled into a hug by the sleeping Scarlett. His eyes widened as he tensed. _'Don't move! Don't make a sound!'_ Scarlett snuggled the pig.

"I'm so sorry…" She whispered in her sleep. She held Ryoga closer. "Ryoga…Kun…" His eyes widened.

_'She's dreaming about me?'_ He bit the inside if his cheek. He then nuzzled her. He wasn't sure why though, pig instinct maybe. Her eyes twitched. _'Big mistake! BIG mistake!'_ She then settled before releasing Ryoga and turning over. He sighed of relief. He dug through Scarlett's bag bringing out his clothes. They had been traveling for a while, so the clothing was dry. He laid them out, and went outside the tent. He saw Mousse asleep, next to a pot of recently boiled water. Ryoga snagged the pot before rushing back into Scarlett's tent. He went into the bundle of clothing and knocked the pot over him. He instantly changed back, dressed fully. He looked at Scarlett. He felt a blush creep onto his face.

"She looks so sweet and innocent when she's sleeping." He leaned downward, getting a better look at her in the process. Scarlett then turned on her back. It was then and there, that Ryoga realized how close his face was to hers. Subconsciously he leaned in and, before realizing what he was doing, kissed the Saotome girl on the lips.

Scarlett moaned. The sleeping beauty then wrapped her arms around the fanged boy's neck, causing him to snap into reality. _'What the hell am I doing!' _He realized that Scarlett's grip was loose. _'What kind of person kisses someone in their sleep? Who does that?'_

_What kind of person kisses someone who IS asleep? Who does THAT?_ A voice in Ryoga's head asked. Ryoga sweatdropped, he shifted, causing Scarlett to let go and turn over in her sleep. He exited her tent. His face was red as a tomato. He then went into the bushes. He would come out when they wake up and work the whole lost boy thing.

Hours later…

"Great-grandmother, we leave now?" Shampoo asked. Cologne nodded.

"As soon as Daughter-in-law wakes up." Speak of the devil.

"How the hell did I end up in a tent?" Scarlett asked. She looked at the group. "Oh man, how long have I been out?" She asked.

Cologne smiled. "Don't worry Daughter-in-Law. You've only been asleep for a couple of days." She assured. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Only a couple of days?" Her stomach growled. "That reminds me… can we eat please?" She begged. Shampoo smiled.

"Ok! Is only natural Scarlett wish to eat after too, too long sleep! Shampoo is hungry too! So she will cook too, too delicious food for everyone." She then began to cook up some noodles with Cologne while Scarlett and Mousse waited.

As the smell of food drafted into Ryoga's nose, he then realized how hungry he was. He bit his bottom lip. He then walked out of the bushes.

"Now where am I…? Don't tell me I'm lost _again_!" He groaned as he acted his usual routine. Scarlett cringed at the voice.

"Ryoga…" She growled. She gave him a sharp glare. "What're you doing here?" She hissed.

Ryoga sweatdropped. _'Amazing how she just switches moods when she sees me.' _He thought. "What else? I'm on an extreme training trip!" Scarlett smirked and watched Shampoo cook.

"And then you got lost, got hungry, smelled the food and then followed the scent here." Ryoga sweatdropped. That was exactly what he was going to say.

"That's a little creepy on how right you were. I'm sort of outta food. Mind if I eat with you guys?" He asked. Scarlett looked at Cologne.

"I may not like the boy, but even _I'm_ not coldhearted enough to let him starve. Alright Shampoo, add some more ingredients to the food. Ryoga's joining us." She sighed. Scarlett groaned, but nodded. Ryoga plopped down next to her.

"Sooo… How's life treating ya?" He asked. Scarlett's eyebrow twitched as she closed her eyes.

_'Life was treating me fine until **you** showed up!' _She thought angrily. Instead she strained a smiled. "Life has been treating me just fine! I can't wait to start my training in Jusenkyo." She answered as 'cheerily' as an angry fifteen year old girl can act. "So what are you training for? Gonna try to defeat Ranma and win Akane's love?" She growled menacingly. Ryoga didn't seem to notice the venom in her voice. So he smiled cheerily.

"Yep! That's the plan!" He answered. Scarlett's eyebrow twitched. She stood and put up the most painful smile of her life.

"Granny, I'm gonna do some early training. Call me when the food is done." Ryoga stood.

"Okay, I'll join you." He chimed as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"_No_ you will **_not_**!" She hissed as she slapped his hand off. "I want to train alone!" She ran from him. She stopped before turning around. "Besides! I don't want to have to hold your hand to keep you from making a wrong turn. Why don't you go write one of your love letters to Akane or something!" She ran again! Ryoga blinked before running after her.

"I was right! You are jealous!" As they were out of sight, the three Chinese martial artists heard the rest of their conversation.

"You wish I was jealous!" They heard Scarlett snap. Ryoga laughed.

"I don't wish, I know!" Scarlett growled.

"Hey you still have your umbrella?" She asked.

"Yeah…?" Ryoga answered skeptically.

"Lemme see it." Shampoo sweatdropped.

"Is bad idea." She warned quietly. Seconds later…

"Take this you moron!" A loud _harsh_ whacking sound was heard.

"OW!" Ryoga screeched. Seconds later, Ryoga was sent flying back. Moments later, his umbrella was sent back, landing on his… special place… knocking the poor man out in the process.

"Great-grandmother? Remind Shampoo to no make Scarlett mad." The group nodded.

* * *

><p>Scarlett found one place surrounded by flowers and mushrooms. There was a large tree stump. She sat on it and went into a meditating position.<p>

_'It was just a little crush. Nothing too serious.'_ Scarlett thought to herself.

_Oh? Was it really 'just a little crush'? Don't kid yourself Scarlett-honey. You are head-over-heels for Ryoga-Kun._ A voice from the back of Scarlett's mind taunted.

_'I'm not head-over-heels for Ryoga. And don't call him Ryoga-Kun! Who the hell is this anyway?' _She demanded.

_You make it sound like you're on the phone. I'm your inner-self you idiot! _

_'I'm not an idiot!' _

_You are! Only a true idiot will deny her feelings for a boy she loves._

_'I don't love him! I haven't known him that long! Why the hell am I talking to you!' _With that, she got out of her meditating position and began practicing some martial arts moves. She sighed and plopped onto the ground. The fanged boy popped into her mind. "It's just a little crush…he doesn't like me anyway…"

"Who?" A voice from behind asked. Scarlett shrieked before swinging a fist. Her hand was caught. "Relax! It's me, Ryoga! So who do you have a crush on? I can pound him if he doesn't like you." He declared with honest eyes. Scarlett's eyes wavered before she fell to her knees and cried furiously. Ryoga bit his bottom lip. "Please don't cry anymore! Please don't!" He pleaded. Scarlett shook her head.

"Why should I?" Ryoga furrowed his eyebrows and forced Scarlett to stand and brought her into a hug.

"Because…" He mumbled. Scarlett looked up at him. Her eyes shimmering as her tears reflected sunlight.

"B-because what?" She asked. Ryoga blushed.

"B-because you're cuter when you're happy and smiling…" He whispered with his head turned to the side. He looked at her through the corner of his eye. Their eyes locked and he couldn't look away as he turned to fully face her. Scarlett smiled before leaning upward. "W-what cha doing?" Ryoga asked shakily. Scarlett closed her eyes before pressing her lips against his. Ryoga's eyes widened as he just stood there…processing what was happening. They heard a giggle. Shampoo was giggling happily.

"Is too, too cute! Shampoo is sorry for interrupting! Shampoo came to say that Great-grandmother says food is done! But Ryoga and Scarlett obviously busy right now!" Scarlett parted from Ryoga. She flailed her arms.

"No! It never happened! _Never_ happened!" She chanted over again. "I'm starving let's go eat!" She ran in the direction of the camp. Shampoo blinked. She looked at the flushed Ryoga.

"What happen between Pig-boy and Scarlett?" She asked. Ryoga looked in Scarlett's direction before looking at the confused Shampoo.

"Pig-boy has no idea."

* * *

><p>Scarlett ate her noodles quickly at a distance from the rest of the group. Cologne tilted her head.<p>

"What's wrong with Daughter-in-Law?" She asked. Ryoga blushed. Shampoo smiled.

"Shampoo see everything! This is what happen!" Scarlett walked by, blowing her trumpet at top volume, drowning out Shampoo's voice. "And then-" Scarlett walked by again, banging on a pot with a spoon. "And then Scarlett-" Splashed Shampoo with cold water. "Meow?" She asked. Scarlett sighed.

"I should have done that the first time!" She held out her bowl. "Can I have more noodles please?" She asked innocently. Cologne blinked. She took her bowl and filled it. Mousse looked at the redhead.

"Seriously, what happened?" Scarlett shoved a bag of ice down Mousse's back. "AH! COLD! COLD!" He began to do some weird dance. Then the ice began to melt and in seconds. "Quack! Quack quack!" Scarlett laughed.

"What were you saying Mu Mu-Chan?" He began to peck at her! She ran as he followed and continued to peck at her! "Ow! Mad duck! Owie! Ow! Mad duck!" Ryoga sweatdropped as she ran past him. He grabbed Mousse and slammed him to the ground where Scarlett stomped him flat. "You rock Ryoga-Kun!" She hugged him. He blushed. She did too when she realized what she was doing and quickly parted.

"You… you called me Ryoga-Kun…" He whispered. Scarlett turned a shade of red darker than her hair. She turned to the side stubbornly.

"I did not! You're hearing things!" She stated.

"Why are you so stubborn?" He demanded. Scarlett glared.

"Excuse me?"

"Stubborn as a mule, not as ugly, and just as strong!" He retorted. That earned him a slap, then another, then five more fast ones.

"That's something Ranma would say! In other words, YOU'RE A JERK!" She stuck her tongue out. "Alright Granny, we've eaten. Let's go to Jusenkyo!" Cologne came hopping on her stick.

"Alright Daughter-in-Law. Ryoga, if you wish, you may come." She offered while pouring hot water over Shampoo and Mousse. Scarlett fumed.

"WHAT? Don't let him come! He'll make everything feel awkward for me!" Cologne poked the side of her neck. Scarlett blinked before slowly collapsing into Ryoga's arms. She was asleep… again. Ryoga looked at the redhead in his arms before sighing.

"Looks like I'm coming. Shampoo, help me get her on my back." She placed her on the fanged lost boy's back.

"We go Jusenkyo now!" She cheered. They continued on. As they did so, Ryoga felt Scarlett snuggle into his neck.

"So strong and lovable…" She whispered in her sleep. Ryoga blushed as he smiled at her.

* * *

><p><strong>HI PERSONS! OMG! PLEASE TELL ME-damn caps lock. Please tell me what Scarlett should turn into if she was to fall into a spring in Jusenkyo? Tell me. Tell me! TELL ME! What should she be? I need to know! Because…well… I'm stumped. ~Meow~! *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose* =^-^= Seriously! Tell me what Scarlett should become when she falls into Jusenkyo! TT-TT<strong>!


	7. You dropped me into a spring! It's okay!

Ryoga plopped down on the ground before holding Scarlett in his lap. He raised a hand. Just when it was close to making contact, Scarlett snuggled into his chest. He blushed. He looked at Shampoo with pleading eyes.

"Fine. Shampoo wake her up. WAKE UP SCARLETT!" That earned a slap to the face. "She is too, too mean when she sleeping." Shampoo groaned. "Why you no wake her up?" Ryoga looked down at the redhead.

"I can't hit a girl." He sighed. Shampoo rolled her eyes. She then took out her favorite book. Sleeping Beauty. She skipped to the picture with the prince and the princess. She looked up at Ryoga and Scarlett then back at the book, then at up again.

"Aiya! Shampoo know how you wake up Scarlett!" He looked up at the purple haired beauty. "Is just like story! You is Prince and Scarlett is Princess!" She cheered. Ryoga didn't like where this was going. "You kiss Scarlett and she wake up!" Shampoo explained. Ryoga blushed.

"That didn't happen the first time." He then covered his mouth. Shampoo tilted her head.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing! I just said that I don't think that would work!" He shouted quickly. Shampoo blinked. She turned to the side.

"If you no want to be Scarlett's prince, then…" She looked around. "Mousse will be her prince!" Ryoga gagged.

"What?" He shouted.

"Mousse! You come here please!"

"No, no, no, no, no! That won't be necessary!" Ryoga called. Shampoo grinned.

"So you kiss Scarlett?" She asked. Ryoga gulped, how'd this happen? He sighed before nodding. He brought Scarlett's face closer to his. He closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers. A click was heard but Ryoga dismissed it. Scarlett's eyes twitched before snapping open. Ryoga's eyes snapped as well. Scarlett slapped Ryoga. They went into a fit a rage as they yelled at each other. She pulled out her mallet. They finally stopped when Scarlett slammed it on Ryoga's head. "This will be too, _too _precious memories." Shampoo chimed while holding her video camera.

Scarlett took in her surroundings. She saw a bunch of springs with poles sticking out of them. "Oh, this is Jusenkyo isn't it?" Cologne nodded.

"You will be facing Shampoo. Hop onto the poles and proceed in combat." The two girls nodded and hopped onto a pole.

"Mousse! You get this on camera for Shampoo!" She called. Mousse gave her thumbs up as he held the video camera.

"Shampoo, I'll give you the first move!" Scarlett offered. Shampoo nodded.

"Is bad choice! Okay! Here Shampoo come!" She jumped off of her pole and aimed a kick for Scarlett. Scarlett jumped off and landed on another pole. The two girls jumped before throwing punches at each other while in midair. They landed on other poles.

"Come on Shampoo! I expected you to be more of a challenge!" Scarlett taunted. Shampoo smirked.

"Shampoo was thinking same thing about you!" She retorted. Mousse watched the girls.

"They're really getting into it." He said. Ryoga nodded. Cologne looked at the two boys.

"Of course. They are both skilled fighters. They need to give it their all in combat. Shampoo fights with Amazon skill. While Daughter-in-Law fights with the skills she learned from the Saotome School of Anything-Goes-Martial Arts. Both groups are very prideful." She lectured. Scarlett caught their attention.

"Scarlett's Final Attack! Mystical Aura Beam!" Ryoga's eyes widened.

"Ranma told me about that move!" He declared. The group looked at him. "It's a really strong attack that Scarlett made up! She gets real close to her opponent and the slams her palm on their chest. Then a type of aura beam explodes from her hand. That move can knock someone out for weeks if she wants to! It all depends on who it is. She used it on Ranma once and he was out for a month!" He explained. Shampoo heard this and sweated slightly.

"Shampoo no can get knock out for month! She has too many plans for Ranma!" She then jumped over Scarlett, and kicked her. Scarlett would have fallen into a spring if Ryoga hadn't caught her. She looked at him curiously. He turned to the side.

"If Ranma and Genma find out that you got cursed, they'll automatically assume it was my fault, and I'm not taking any of that." Cologne laughed loudly.

"Is that the_ real_ reason? Or do _you _wish to be my son-in-law as well?"

_*Let me clear that up for you. Cologne sees me as her daughter-in-law. She believes that Ryoga wishes to marry me, making him her other son-in-law.*_

Ryoga and Scarlett blushed at what she was intending. Ryoga let go of her and turned to yell at Cologne. A splash was heard. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Uh-oh." He muttered without turning around.

"Yip! Yip yap! Yip!" They all looked into the spring to see a red fox kit with black ears and paws, and large blue eyes flailing in the water. Out of nowhere, the Jusenkyo guide picked the kit out of the water and placed it on the floor.

"Oh, too bad. You fall into Spring of Drowned Fox Kit. Fox kit fall in spring and drown very long time ago. Is very tragic story, no? Now when you splashed with cold water, you turn into fox. When splashed with warm water, you turn back into girl." Shampoo jumped off of her pole and picked the fox kit up.

"Scarlett is too,_ too_ cute as fox kit!" Scarlett growled at Ryoga. He gulped and turned to Mousse.

"You're still using that! Turn it off!" With that, he snatched the camera from him and turned it off. Cologne sighed.

"It appears that our training trip is over. We'll camp out and head back to Tokyo tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Several days later…<p>

The group walked in silence. Ryoga walked up to Scarlett.

"Scarlett, are you still mad about Jusenkyo?" He asked. Scarlett ignored him and walked on. He walked after her. "I'm taking that as a yes. Come on, Scarlett! I said I was sorry!" She growled and walked faster. Unfortunately, she walked right in front of an old lady who just happened to be splashing cold water onto the sidewalk.

"Yip yap! Grrr…!" Ryoga waited until the lady went into her house before picking a protesting Scarlett up while wrapping her up in a towel. She gave in, but continued growling quietly. As they arrived at the Tendo Residence, Ryoga shivered at the thought of having to face Ranma _and_ Genma if they see Scarlett like this. He sighed.

"Hello?" He called as the group entered.

"Oh, hi Ryoga. What a darling little baby!" Kasumi cooed as she saw Scarlett had fallen asleep from the warmth of the towel and Ryoga's heartbeat. Now that she was a baby, in a way, the sound of a heartbeat soothed her. Akane and Nabiki came rushing in.

"A baby? Where?" Akane asked. She saw the fox in Ryoga's arms. "Oh, how cute! A kitsune!" Nabiki smiled. Hey. _All_ girls have a soft spot for babies, especially baby animals.

"Where'd you get her Ryoga?" She asked. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Well… we may have… gotten her at… Jusenkyo…?" The girls all sweatdropped.

"Don't tell me…" Akane started.

"That this kitsune is…" Nabiki continued.

"Scarlett Saotome?" Kasumi finished. Shampoo and Mousse nodded.

"Yes!" Shampoo chimed.

"We got it on video! Want to see?" The girls nodded. They all watched the video in the living room.

_"Shampoo no can get knock out for month! She has too many plans for Ranma!" She then jumped over Scarlett, and kicked her. Scarlett would have fallen into a spring if Ryoga hadn't caught her. She looked at him curiously. He turned to the side._

Ranma and Genma walked into the living room. "Hey are you watching a movie?" Ranma asked. They plopped onto the floor and watched.

_"If Ranma and Genma find out that you got cursed, they'll automatically assume it was my fault, and I'm not taking any of that." Cologne laughed loudly. _

_"Is that the _real_ reason? Or do _you_ wish to be my son-in-law as well?" _

_Ryoga and Scarlett blushed at what she was intending. Ryoga let go of her and turned to yell at Cologne. A splash was heard. Ryoga sweatdropped._

_"Uh-oh." He muttered without turning around. _

_"Yip! Yip yap! Yip!" They all looked into the spring to see a red fox kit with black ears and paws, and large blue eyes flailing in the water. Out of nowhere, the Jusenkyo guide picked the kit out of the water and placed it on the floor._

_"Oh, too bad. You fall into Spring of Drowned Fox Kit. Fox kit fall in spring and drown very long time ago. Is very tragic story, no? Now when you splashed with cold water, you turn into fox. When splashed with warm water, you turn back into girl." Shampoo jumped off of her pole and picked the fox kit up. _

_"Scarlett is too, too cute as fox kit!" Scarlett growled at Ryoga. He gulped and turned to Mousse._

_"You're still using that! Turn it off!" With that, he snatched the camera from him and turned it off._

Everyone slowly looked at Ryoga. Ranma gritted his teeth as he spoke.

"You dropped my sister into a spring!" He demanded. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"I-I didn't mean to! I was surprised and forgot that I was holding her!" Ranma was about to punch the hell out of him before Akane stopped him.

"Ranma, stop it! He didn't mean to! Plus, Scarlett's asleep; you know what happens when you wake her up." She whispered. Ryoga blushed at the fact that _Akane_ was sticking up for him. Ranma sighed.

"Fine. Can we at least change her back?" Cologne came hopping on her cane while holding a pot of hot water. She began to pour it over Scarlett.

"No wait! Not yet!" Ryoga cried. Thank GOD there was a towel! Ranma quickly snatched his cousin/sister away from him.

"Akane put some clothes on her!" He ordered as he put the redhead in the bluenette's arms. She quickly raced upstairs. "Good thing she's a heavy sleeper. Now Ryoga-"

"Ranma!" Akane shouted. He groaned.

"You got lucky Pork-butt!" Ryoga sighed of relief. Cologne hopped out of the house.

"Come now, Shampoo. We should be going now. You too Mousse." With that, the Chinese trio exited the house. Kasumi smiled.

"Well, I should feed Miyu. She's probably hungry." She announced while walking into the kitchen. Nabiki nodded.

"I should go count my money or something." She stated while walking toward her room. Soun stood.

"And I should be… not here." With that, he exited the room. All who was left was Ryoga and Genma. Ryoga knew the look in Genma's eyes, he quickly splashed himself with cold water and rushed upstairs into Akane's room.

"RYOGA HIBIKI! I'LL GET YOU SOON!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett sighed awkwardly as she walked around the city. She stood up straight, put her hands on her hips, putting up a grin.<p>

"Look on the bright side Scarlett! Foxes are cute!" She told herself. She stood like that before sighing. "I'd be more enthusiastic if I wasn't _dropped _into a spring." She continued on before getting splashed with water as a car drove by. "Yip yap?" She then made a whining noise. She continued on sulking as she walked.

"Hey, Akatsune-Chan!" It was Ryoga. He picked up the kit before smiling at her. "I've been looking for you Akatsune-Chan."

Scarlett tilted her head. _'Why is he calling me Akatsune-Chan?'_ She thought.

"I got something for you! Let's go to the park first…um… you lead the way." Scarlett sweatdropped, then sighed as she walked in the direction of the park. As they arrived, Ryoga picked Scarlett up and sat on a bench. Scarlett looked at him curiously. He turned her around and tied something around her neck. It was a sapphire blue ribbon that was tied into a neat bow at the back, in the front was a little bell. "Do you like it? I picked it out for you. It cost a lot; it's made of really fine silk." He chimed. Scarlett blushed, good thing her fur was red. She smiled.

"Oh what a cutie!" A girl squealed. Ryoga blinked. "Your pet fox is so adorable!" With that, several girls crowded around him.

"Where'd did you get her?" One girl asked,

"F-found h-her." Ryoga answered shakily. Scarlett's ears perked. Is he actually letting these girls believe that she's his pet?

"What's her name?" Another girl asked.

"A-Akatsune-Chan." He answered.

"Akatsune-Chan? That's an unusual name." The first girl stated. Ryoga noticed that Scarlett was beginning to growl. He held scratched her behind the ear. She calmed down, fox instinct being the likely reason. "Well… Akanbō means baby, kitsune means fox. Aka from akanbō, and tsune from kitsune, plus she cute, so I added Chan to it." Scarlett leaned into his hand subconsciously, making a purring sound, sort of like a cat, but not quite there.

"She really likes how you scratch her like that." She smiled at him. "Can I hold her?" Scarlett ears perked up and she stopped purring. Ryoga heard her growling quietly.

"I-I-I don't think she likes that idea. Sh-she's not quite used to people." He stated. "Um… I should go, she needs a bath." He then ran from the girls. He then sweatdropped as she bared her canines. They were a couple millimeters larger than his, despite her being a kit. "Look, I'm sorry for letting them think you're my pet Akatsune-Chan! But do you really think that they'd believe me if I said that you were a girl who turns into a fox with cold water? That's like saying _Akane_ would believe me if I told them I turn into P-Chan when _I'm_ splashed with water!" Scarlett's eyes widened. "N-not that I do! That's ridiculous!" Scarlett giggled.

"Yip yap!" Ryoga blushed. She then remembered that he pretended she was his pet. "Grrr!"

"I'm not using you as an accessory!" He took her clothes, which he had been holding onto, and put her in the bundle. He then boiled some water with a little camp fire and poured it over her. She looked at him.

"You _are_ using me as an accessory!" She huffed. She heard a soothing ringing sound. She pulled out her mirror angled it at her neck. The ribbon was still there, and there was a bell on it. Scarlett looked at Ryoga. He smiled and scratched the back of his head.

"I thought of the bell, it's so I can find you if either of us get lost… More preferably me." He stated with a sweatdrop. Scarlett giggled and ringed the bell with her finger.

"I like it. Its ring is soothing. I'll ring it for when I'm stressed or something. Thanks a lot Ryoga!" She chimed happily She looked at the eternal lost boy. She saw that Ucchan's was about a block away. "Why don't we go to Ucchan's? We'll get some okonomiyaki!" She offered. Ryoga blinked.

"Hey, sure!" She took his hand and ran toward the restaurant. She let go, and right when she was about to enter the restaurant, another car drove by with a splash. "Wow, two times in a row, Akatsune-Chan." Ryoga laughed while closing his umbrella.

"Yaaap!" Scarlett whined. Ryoga picked her up and entered.

"Hey Ukyo! You got any hot water?" He called.

"Yap!" Scarlett snapped.

"Oh and some spare clothes?" He asked. Ukyo sweatdropped. "You'll find out in a minute. Here, can you give Akatsune-Chan a bath?" He asked while placing the kit in her arms.

"Um… Okay. My, what a cutie you are!" She cooed. Ryoga watched her go into the bathroom.

"Three…two… one." He counted.

"Scarlett you went to Jusenkyo!" Ukyo shouted.

"Yes! Ryoga dropped me into the Spring of Drowned Fox Kit! I brought the video with me, you wanna see?" Scarlett stated. Ryoga sweatdropped. She's gonna turn everyone against him.

"Maybe later." Ukyo answered.

"Great, can I borrow some clothes?" Ryoga watched her go into her room before back into the bathroom. Minutes later the two girls came out. "Hey Ucchan, can Ryoga and I have some okonomiyaki?" She asked while sitting next to the said boy.

"Sure Le-Chan. Would you like an octopus okonomiyaki? On the house." She offered. Scarlett looked at Ryoga, who nodded.

"Sure, that would be great!" She answered. Ukyo made the two dishes and gave them to the duo. "So Ucchan," Scarlett started before swallowing her bite of food. "How's the engagement with Ranma going?" Ryoga sweatdropped before sighing. Great. He's gonna have to listen to girl talk.

"Not too well. I think Ranma-honey sees me as nothing but a childhood friend." She sighed. Scarlett swallowed again.

"That's too bad. I think you two have a lot of potential. But you know Ranma; poor boy's dumb as a brick. If you want to win him over, you gotta try really hard! Just try to spend a lot of time with him, but don't get to close that he'll see you as obsessed. The reason he sees you as a friend is because you act like a friend. Give him a couple of hints… and don't whack him with your spatula every time he compliments you. You'll be all set if you do that. It works for boys_ and _girls." She instructed. Ryoga took mental notes of this. Ukyo blinked.

"I thought you supported Ranma and Akane?" She asked. Scarlett took a bite out of her okonomiyaki.

"Well… they do have great potential, but they're both stubborn. I was thinking that you can try to _date_ Ranma and see how it goes. If you don't like the relationship, just go on and be friends. All though… Ranma is pretty dense and is most likely to not notice the hints. Try real hard but don't change yourself for him." Ukyo nodded. She looked between the two.

"So… are you two an item?" She asked. Scarlett looked around.

"Who?" She asked. Ukyo smiled.

"You and Ryoga." She declared. Scarlett choked on her okonomiyaki while Ryoga blushed and looked away. Scarlett pounded on her chest a couple of times before sighing.

"No way! Ryoga and I are just friends! He loves _Akane_ remember? Right, Ryoga?" He didn't look at her.

"R-right." He answered. Ukyo tilted her head.

"Okay then, whatever you say…" She sang. Scarlett groaned. "So Ryoga, what our latest plans for getting you and Akane together?" Ryoga blinked.

"I don't know. You usually come up with those ideas." He said with a shrug.

"That's right… I know! There's a carnival coming this week! You can take her there! Take her on the Ferris wheel… or take her into the tunnel of love! Or into those spook houses. She hates being scared and she'll be clinging onto you like her life depends on it!" Ukyo offered. Ryoga nodded eagerly.

"Yeah, I like that idea!" They heard a slamming sound. They looked to the side to see that Scarlett had her hands on the counter and was standing, her eyes closed and her eyebrow twitching slightly.

"Well, I'm obviously not in this conversation. I'm done eating, so I'm going home." She put up a strained smile. "Good luck on your plan!" She waved and walked out of the restaurant. Ukyo and Ryoga blinked.

"Geez, what happened to her?" He asked. Ukyo glared at him before whacking him with her spatula.

* * *

><p>Scarlett was inside the dojo, taking her anger out on cinder blocks, only this time, she'd switch her hands.<p>

"_Take her into the tunnel of love. Take her on the Ferris wheel!_ Why do I bother! They even _sound_ cute together. Akane and Ryoga. Ryoga and Akane. This whole, Pig-tailed Girl pretends to date Ryoga Hibiki gig is too irritating. I can't take it anymore!" She growled. She smashed another pile. "I just need to find another guy to like!" She sat down and poked holes into the blocks as she thought. "Let's see… Mousse is Shampoo obsessed. Kuno is a medieval doofus who only likes 'perfect' girls… Dr. Tofu is too old and is Kasumi obsessed… Oh man! I don't know any guys potential for having a relationship with! The guys at school drool over any girl with a cute face and a nice figure…"

"Then what about meee!" Suddenly, a short, _old_ man jumped onto Scarlett and hugged her breast!

"AAAAAHHH! THERE'S A PERVERT IN THE DOJO!" She shouted while punching the man off of her. "Uncle Panda! Uncle Tendo!" The two men rushed into the dojo. Scarlett quickly hid behind them. Ranma and Akane rushed in as well.

Soun and Genma shrieked. "Master Happosai has returned!" They quickly bowed, tears of 'joy' streaming down their faces.

"Oh no, it's the old man!" Ranma growled. Scarlett looked at him.

"You know this creep?" Ranma and Akane nodded.

"Hey, where'd you get that ribbon and bell?" She asked. Scarlett blushed. Akane decided to leave her be for now. "All right Happosai, why are you here?" Happosai ignored her and walked up to Scarlett.

"So m'dear, you said you were looking for a boyfriend?" He chuckled. "How about me?" Scarlett scoffed.

"Yeah right! My standards are fifteen like me, or sixteen years old! Not five hundred!" She retorted. Happosai gasped.

"I'm not five hundred years old, I'm _four_ hundred years old! I'll have to punish you for that! Happosai Burst!" He threw some weird ball at her with a light on it. The group shrieked. Scarlett grinned.

"I get it! You wanna play catch! One!" She tossed it back at him. He stared at her. "Well? Throw it back and shout two!" He stared for a minute before nodding.

"Two!" He threw it at her. Scarlett smirked.

"THREE!" She tossed it at him and it exploded, right in Happosai's face! When the smoke cleared, they saw him knocked out with swirls in his eyes. Scarlett laughed loudly. "Stupid old man fell for it!" Genma and Soun panicked.

"Do you know what you have done?" They shouted. "Now the master will plot his revenge against you!" They shrieked. Scarlett blinked. They quickly dragged her out of the dojo. They sat her in the living room.

"What are we to do? I can't let the master hurt my little girl!" Genma cried. Soun nodded.

"I agree, Scarlett is like my own niece. We need a plan." Scarlett looked between two. She sighed and picked Miyu up, petting the kitten that has grown just a bit. The trio heard muffled voices.

"Come on you coward! Do you wanna go on a date with Akane or not?" It was Ukyo.

"I-I do but!" Ryoga hesitated. They heard Ukyo whack him with something…Most likely her spatula.

"No buts! Get in there!" She then shoved him into the house and into the living room.

"Oh, hi Akatsune-Chan!" Ryoga greeted to Scarlett. A light bulb seemed to light up in Soun and Genma's heads.

"That's it!" They shouted together. Scarlett leaned away slightly. The next thing she knew, she was splashed with cold water, and was under a pile of soggy clothing.

"Hey! Those were my clothes!" Ukyo complained. The clothes began to shuffle, and then, a fox kit and a kitten popped out. Miyu looked at Scarlett.

"Meow?" She asked. Scarlett sweatdropped and smiled before nodding.

"Yip yap!" Miyu smiled before purring against her. Genma picked Scarlett up and dropped her into Ryoga's arms and forced him to sit.

"Scarlett is to pretend to be your pet fox until Happosai forgets about her knocking him out with his own weapon." Scarlett's ears flattened against her head. Ukyo blinked.

"I don't think she likes that idea. She could pretend to be my pet fox." She offered. Scarlett snapped her jaws at her. "Okay, maybe not." Scarlett jumped out of Ryoga's arms and sat on his lap, thinking of some way to get out of this predicament.

"Get back here old man!" Ranma shouted. He and Akane were chasing after the enraged Happosai.

"Where is that insolent brat! Oh, Ukyo! Nice to see you m'dear!" He then jumped onto her, or at least tried to as she quickly whacked him with her trusty spatula. He shook his head and looked around. "Where is she!" Ryoga blinked as Scarlett clung onto his chest, shaking at the old man's rage.

"You mean that red haired girl?" He asked, pretending not to know who Happosai was talking about. "The one who looks like Ranma?" He nodded. Ryoga shook his head. "I have no clue on who you're talking about." Happosai anime fell.

"Then I'll just search the whole house! She's here somewhere! Hey, what's with the fox?" He asked. Ryoga looked down at the kit as she began to calm down at the sound of his heartbeat.

"This is my pet fox, Akatsune-Chan." Happosai tilted his head.

"I could've sworn I just saw her shaking like hell a few seconds ago." He announce skeptically. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Y-yeah… well… she seems to calm down at the sound of my heartbeat. She's a kit, kits are babies, and babies relax at the sound of the heartbeat." Akane smiled at this.

"She's so cute when she's calm like that. Um… I think she's falling asleep." The bluenette pointed out. Ryoga blinked and looked down to see that Scarlett's eyes were beginning to droop. He sweatdropped.

"That's sweet, but I need to catch that redhead!" Happosai declared before jumping and bouncing off of Ryoga and causing him to fall over… and hit his head and pass out.

"Master! Wait!" Genma and Soun called, running after him. Ranma growled before running after him.

"Get back here old man!" He ran after him with Akane following.

Ukyo sighed. "I should get home. I'll continue our plan tomorrow." She then walked out of the house. Kasumi entered the room.

"I wonder where everyone has gone." She looked in Ryoga's direction. "How cute, Scarlett is asleep on his chest!" Kasumi cooed. "It's almost like she belongs there." She sighed happily. She gently took the kit off of him before putting her into the bundle of clothing, placing her next to Ryoga, and pouring warm water over her. She was now in her human form sleeping next to the lost boy. Kasumi saw nothing wrong with this, seeing as Ryoga was a polite boy and had not a perverted mind. She placed a blanket on them and left upstairs to her room.

Scarlett turned onto her side, as did Ryoga. She snuggled into his chest, and he wrapped his arms around her. After a few minutes, Scarlett's eyes twitched before opening. She saw the position she was in and blushed. She smiled.

"Maybe Ryoga dropping me into the spring wasn't a bad thing after all…" She yawned quietly. She snuggled into his chest again, listening to his heartbeat and slowly falling into sleep once more. Ryoga held onto her tighter, as if protecting her in his sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Yep. Scarlett ended up turning into a fox kit. I think it was a good idea! Please thank samsoom for the awesome idea! It just seems to fit her! Thank you so much samsoom! ~Meow~! *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose!* =^w^=<strong>


	8. Stupid! I'm Jealous 'Cause I Love Ya!

**Hi everyone! New chapter is up! This one will be interesting. Also, does anyone know what Mary Sue is? I've been wondering for a while.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>Scarlett was walking on the fence like Ranma usually would, eyes closed. She was currently coming back from tennis practice, and was hitting the ball on her racket up and down. She heard a bunch of shouting; she looked through one eye and saw Happosai running from a bunch of angry girls chasing after him.<p>

"Get back here you pervert!" Scarlett heard them cry. Scarlett rolled her eyes; she stopped and waited for the right moment. She tossed her tennis ball in the air before smacking it with her racket and hitting Happosai in the process! The girls caught up with him and stomped on him. "Take this you pervert!" They shouted. Scarlett snickered as she continued on. All Happosai saw was the back of a red haired girl in a tennis uniform and a pigtail.

"Scarlett Saotome…? I'll get her for this…" He muttered. The girls stomped harder.. The girls continued on and Scarlett heard cries of pain from the old man. She checked her watch.

"Hmm… almost time for Kasumi to show me how to make lunch." She ran toward the house.

* * *

><p>Scarlett entered the house. "Kasumi-San! I'm ready for my lesson!" She called. Kasumi poked her head out the kitchen and frowned.<p>

"Sorry Scarlett, I forgot that today was the day for me to teach you and already made lunch. Maybe tomorrow." She sighed. Scarlett shrugged.

"That's alright. I'll just practice for my game in a few days. Thanks anyway!" She called as she ran out the house. Kasumi called for her.

"Hold on, you got something in the mail!" Scarlett came walking back and took the letter. She smiled.

"It's from Ryoga." She read it with excitement, though she didn't show it too much.

_Dear Scarlett, _

_How are you? I am fine. Tell Akane that I said hello. As you know, I am on an intense training trip, and I currently have no idea where I am. _

Scarlett giggled at this.

_Anyway, I'm writing to tell you that I'm going to try and come back to Nerima, Tokyo to watch your tennis match, you know, the one you told me about before I left. I'm currently on my way there now. Um…I'm hoping you're not reading this aloud, because I want you know that I really… this is hard to say… I really miss you and Akane. Ranma I could do without though. _

Scarlett rolled her eyes. She would've squealed if he hadn't brought Akane into that. Though, she laughed at his comment about Ranma.

_Knowing my bad sense direction, I'm likely to not make it to your match. But I sure will try, and if I don't, can you get it on video so I can watch it with you or something. Maybe while I'm there, we can get some okonomiyaki from Ukyo or catch a movie or something. Well, see you soon… or not. Depends on my luck._

_From,_

_Ryoga Hibiki_

"He's gonna try to see my tennis match!" She squealed aloud. Nabiki grinned.

"Oh how sweet. He even asked you out." She teased. Scarlett blushed; Nabiki had read the letter over her shoulder. Scarlett huffed.

"He did not! I'm sure he meant as friends!" She flushed. Nabiki smirked.

"He also said he missed you." She cooed mockingly. Scarlett groaned.

"He said he missed Akane too." She retorted. Before Nabiki could speak again; "Whatever, I'm gonna go practice!" With that, she ran out of the house.

* * *

><p>Now that she was outside, she had thrown her tennis ball at the wall where it would bounce back and she'd hit it with her racket. She continued this action until she hit the ball too hard and it had bounced over the fence. Apparently, it had hit someone.<p>

"Ow! Whose ball is this?" A male voice cried. Scarlett sweatdropped. She hopped over the fence and ran up to him.

"I am so sorry!" She apologized. The boy turned to see a redhead running up to him, her large eyes filled with concerned. He blushed. Scarlett stopped in front of him. "I was practicing for my tennis match and the ball bounced to high and went over the fence. I hope it didn't hit you too hard." She said. The boy scratched the back of his head.

"N-no no! Don't worry; it didn't hit me that hard. I-I'm K-Kouki Beryl." He greeted sheepishly. Scarlett smiled. She held out a hand.

"My name is Scarlett Saotome." She greeted happily. Kouki hesitated before taking her hand and shaking it, before quickly tearing from it. "What's wrong?" She asked. Kouki blushed before looking at her.

"I was just a little surprised at how soft your hand was." He admitted with embarrassment. Scarlett smiled. She went back into the house. Kouki slapped his hand to his head. "Great… I scared her off…" He stayed there for a couple of minutes. He was surprised when Scarlett came back in a different outfit, consisting of a casual dress and her hair relieved of its pigtail.

"Hey, you wanna go get a milkshake or something? My treat." She offered. Kouki blushed and nodded.

"Y-yeah! Th-that sounds r-really nice." He stammered. Scarlett giggled.

"You stammer more than my friend Ryoga! You should relax, it's not like I'm gonna bite you or anything." She chimed. Kouki nodded.

* * *

><p>Scarlett walked along the fence as she headed from the café, chocolate milkshake in hand. Kouki looked at her, his vanilla milkshake in hand. She raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" She asked.<p>

Kouki blushed. "W-well I-I w-was wondering how you're able t-to walk on the fence so easily…" He muttered. Scarlett blinked before smiling.

"Oh, I'm a martial artist. Balancing on fences isn't hard when you're been training is mostly about balance." She explained. Kouki's eyes seemed to light up with admiration.

"You're a martial artist? That's so cool!" He complimented. Scarlett blushed and scratched the back of her head sheepishly.

"It's not, really. There are a lot of martial artists here! The best I know is my older cousin Ranma! It's really rare that he gets defeated!" She stated. Kouki poked his index fingers together.

"D-do you think you can… that you can…" He muttered, searching for words. "That you can teach me!" He covered his mouth at his sudden outburst. Scarlett blinked before stopping and crouching over, looking at him from her spot on the fence.

"Why would you want to learn martial arts Kouki?" She asked curiously. Kouki blushed.

"W-well… i-it's just that… a-at my old school, th-the other students would pick on me. A-and w-would sometimes beat me up. I-I'm going to go to a n-new school in a week or two, a-and I'd like to learn to defend myself." He admitted with embarrassment. Scarlett looked at him with a sympathetic look.

"If that's the reason, then sure, I can teach you the basic moves." She assured. Kouki's face seemed to light up.

"Y-you will? Th-thank you! Th-this means so much to me!" He thanked. Scarlett sweatdropped. She smiled and jumped down from the fence, holding down her dress.

"No problem. I'll be more than happy to. Starting in two days, you'll be an official student of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes-Martial Arts. Okay?" She asked. Kouki hugged her.

"Thank you so much!" He cried. The hairs on Scarlett's neck stood as she stood there. She wasn't used to hugging any boy near her age but Ryoga. This made her blush harder, she was thinking of one boy while hugging another. She patted Kouki's back awkwardly.

"C-can you let go of me." Kouki turned insanely red and let go of her.

"S-sorry! I-I um… I'll see you!" He cried as he ran from her. Scarlett blinked before calling to him.

"See you Kouki! Can't wait to teach ya!" She called. Kouki waved over his shoulder.

"Thanks again!" He called. Scarlett smiled.

"He's such a shy boy. He reminds me of Ryoga, except he's not a martial artist." She sighed to herself. She turned around to see Ranma staring right at her. "Holy!" She shrieked while jumping onto the fence. "Ranma, what's wrong with you! How long have you been standing there?" She demanded. Ranma shrugged his shoulders.

"About a second. So, who reminds you of Ryoga?" He asked. Scarlett jumped down and brushed past him.

"Certainly not you." She hissed. Ranma blinked and went after her.

"Who?" He asked.

"No one." Scarlett huffed.

"Come on!" Ranma begged.

"Shut up!" Ranma jogged up to her.

"Tell me!" He demanded. Scarlett groaned. There was a bucket of cold water. She smirked and dumped it over her head.

"Yip yap!" She ran from him. Ranma stared at the bundle of clothes in front of him. He sighed before picking it up and running after the fox kit.

"Le-Chan, get back here and tell me!"

* * *

><p>Days later, 9:45 AM.<p>

"Watanabe you're up!" The referee cried. A brown haired girl ran onto the tennis field. Scarlett searched the crowd, hoping to see the fanged boy with a bandana around his head, known as Ryoga. She sighed. Good thing Ranma was going to record. She sighed again.

"Ryoga probably isn't even in the city." She held the bell around her neck; Making a small wish on it. "Please Ryoga… please come and watch me play…" She whispered. Ranma and Akane looked at her sympathetically.

"Poor Scarlett. She really wanted Ryoga to watch her play." Akane sighed. Ranma nodded. The wind blew.

"He's here. He's somewhere in the city." Ranma declared. Akane looked at him.

"How do you know?" She asked. Ranma looked at her.

"My intuition says so. I'm gonna go find him!" He handed the camera to the confused Akane. He ran away. Akane blinked.

* * *

><p>Ranma ran around the city. "Yo! Ryoga, are you around here?" He called. He heard someone reply.<p>

"Ranma, is that you?" Ryoga called back. Ranma ran in the direction of the lost boy's voice. He soon found the boy. He was wearing a blue T-Shirt. (You know… the one he wore when he fell into Jusenkyo? In the flashback of P-P-P-Chan! He's good for nothin'!)

"Come on man, what're you doing? It's almost Le-Chan's turn to play! Come on!" He ordered. Ryoga sweatdropped.

_'Her game is today! Awe man, I forgot! Don't let Ranma know!' _He thought. He glared at Ranma. "Don't tell me what to do Ranma! I can make it to Scarlett's game without your help!" He retorted. Ryoga then walked away from him. Ranma rolled his eyes and turned around.

"You're going the wrong way Mr. P!" He called. Ryoga stopped dead in his tracks. He then charged toward Ranma.

"I told you not to call me that!" He shouted. Ranma ran from him, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Mr. P! Pork-butt! P-Chan! Pig-Boy! Moron!" He taunted. Ryoga ran faster.

"Get back here you jackass!" He demanded.

"P-Chan! P-Chan! P-Chan! Come get me P-Chan!" Ranma shouted. Ryoga was getting madder with each word.

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!" He shouted. Ranma sweatdropped but laughed as he continued on.

"There's the game!" Ranma whispered. He ran up to Akane. "Hey Akane." He said. Akane looked at him.

"Did you get him?" She asked. Ranma chuckled.

"Yeah, and he's really riled up for the match." Akane smiled.

"That's great!" Ryoga came in a few seconds. The minute he came over, he grabbed the collar of Ranma's shirt.

"You're dead, Saotome!" He threatened as he raised a fist. Scarlett looked up and smiled.

"Ryoga!" She squealed. She ran up to him. "You made it!" She chimed. Ryoga froze. He dropped Ranma to the ground.

"Ow!" Ranma cried.

Ryoga quickly stood up straight and scratched the back of his head. He laughed stupidly, like he does when he's nervous.

"Of course I made it, Scarlett! It's not like I forgot that the game was today or anything! Because I didn't! Hahaha! " He laughed. Scarlett tilted her head with a sweatdrop.

"Are you alright?" She asked. Ryoga nodded.

"Never been better!"

"Hey, Saotome, stop talking to your boyfriend and get on the field!" The coach called. Scarlett and Ryoga blushed.

"We aren't a couple!" They both shouted. Ryoga smiled at her.

"Well good luck!" He chimed. She nodded and went onto the field. As she walked, she held her bell and muttered a grateful thank you. Ryoga looked at Ranma. "You got lucky!" He hissed.

"Here we go!" She served the tennis ball! The girl on the other side hit it back. Scarlett hit it as well. They hit it back and forth until Scarlett heard Ryoga call out to her.

"Come on Scarlett! You can do it!" He cheered. Scarlett blushed as she looked at him. "Hey, look out!" Scarlett looked in front of her. The girl hit the ball and it was coming straight at her. The redhead shrieked before hitting it with a lot of force. The girl missed it and the referee blew her whistle.

"Point; Saotome! The winner of this game is Furinkan High!" Scarlett jumped and pumped her fist.

"YES!" The team jumped around her, squealing.

"We won! This rules!" The girls cheered. Scarlett's friend, Hoshi, looked over to Ryoga.

"Why don't you thank Ryoga? He's obviously the one who gave you the courage to win." She began to push Scarlett toward him "You two are such a cute couple!" That's when Scarlett began to struggle.

"No! We aren't a couple! Help! _HELP!_" She shrieked. Hoshi smirked. She looked at her other friends.

"Yeah. Minako, Miki, give me some help!" The two mentioned girls pushed Scarlett along with Hoshi.

"Oh come on guys! This isn't funny! Stop! _STOP!"_ The girls pushed her into the eternal lost boy. He fell backwards as he caught the redhead. She somehow ended up on his lap. They both blushed. "I-I-I…" Scarlett stammered. There was a flash. Hoshi was holding a digital camera, with a triumphant smirk.

"These will make great year book pictures!" She squealed. Scarlett shrieked. She quickly hopped off of Ryoga. She looked at Hoshi desperately.

"You're joking right? You're not really going to put that in the year book are you?" She asked. Hoshi looked at the picture.

"I don't know…" She sang. "It _is_ a good picture…Give me a 1000 yen and I'll delete it." She offered. Scarlett growled.

"WHO ARE YOU? NABIKI? Gimme that camera!" She demanded. She reached for it. Hoshi pulled it out of her reach.

"No thanks." She teased. "1000 yen!" She declared. Scarlett shook her head.

"No way!" She hissed. "Give it to me Hoshi!" Hoshi jumped away from her. She pulled her bottom eyelid down with her finger and stuck out her tongue. Scarlett groaned. "I forgot you were a cheerleader…" She sighed. She dug into her pockets. "Awe man… I don't have any money… I bet Nabiki took it." Ryoga walked up to Hoshi. He pulled out the amount of money.

"May I have that camera please?" He asked. Hoshi gave him the camera and took the money. "Thank you." Scarlett looked at him.

* * *

><p>It was late and Scarlett and Ryoga were walking from the small party at the Cat Café. Ryoga looked at her.<p>

"Scarlett?" He asked. She looked at him. "Is the thought of being a couple really that bad to you?" He asked quietly. Scarlett blushed.

"Well… no not really. I just… I mean… I want a guy who loves _me_ more than anyone else. You love Akane… so it wouldn't work. Because I can tell that your feelings for her are eternal." She muttered. Her head was hung low, her bangs casting a shadow over her eyes, the only thing seen was her mouth, which was curved upward in a twisted smirk. "I'm sure that you'll win her over some day." She mumbled. Ryoga looked at her.

"Are you crying, Scarlett?" He asked. Scarlett flinched and looked away.

"Yeah right, Ryoga. Why would I be crying? There's nothing wrong." She hesitated, wiping her eyes while pretending there was something in them. Ryoga crossed his arms.

"There's only one way for me to find out." He sighed. The oblivious redhead looked at him slightly. He leaned downward. Scarlett leaned away.

"Hey buddy, what cha' doin'?" She asked. Ryoga took her by the shoulders and licked her cheek. "EEP!" _'How could I not see this coming? He did this before!' _Scarlett thought. He parted from her.

"You're such a liar!" He scolded. Scarlett's cheeks were burning red.

"I-I-I…You… I-I just… It's…not…" She stammered. Finally, she snapped.

"It's not my fault that I'm a girl with feelings! I'm not Ranma! I'm not as strong as he is when it comes to jealousy! I can't hold back my emotions like he can! I may _look_ like Ranma's girl side, but I'm _not_ her! Unlike her, I'm a _real_ girl! With _real_ emotions! Stop bothering me about couples and Akane and romance and all that other stuff! I can't take it anymore! I give up! Are you happy now? You broke me, alright? I admit it! I'm jealous! Jealous! Jealous! Jealous! Jealous! JEALOUS! Jealous of your love for Akane! Jealous of how much attention you give her! Jealous of how you can barely talk correctly when talking to her! I'm done! D-O-N-E!" She shouted. Ryoga was on the ground, shaking as he was unbelievably startled by Scarlett's sudden outburst. She panted. He blinked.

"W-why are you jealous?" He asked, still a little shaken. Scarlett glared at him.

"You're so stupid…" She sighed with a light chuckle. Ryoga stood and frowned at her.

"How am I stupid?" He asked. Out of nowhere, Scarlett flung onto Ryoga, wrapping her arms around his neck. She looked into his shocked eyes.

"I'll give you a clue as to why I'm jealous." She whispered into his ear. Ryoga looked at her, blinking every five seconds. Scarlett closed her eyes and kissed the fanged boy. Ryoga's eyes widened. Scarlett parted from him. "Have you figured it out?" She asked. Before Ryoga could answer, Scarlett left, jumping from building to building. Ryoga plopped onto the ground. He ran his hand through his hair as he looked up at the moon.

"What the heck was _that_?" He asked.

Meanwhile, as Scarlett was hopping from building to building, she smirked.

"You're so stupid Ryoga-Kun… I'm jealous because I'm in love with you." She whispered to herself while holding the bell.

_*Girl, ain't that the truth. Little did I know, the bell held a sort of connection between me and Ryoga.*_

That same minute, a chill was sent down Ryoga's spine.

* * *

><p><strong>Interesting… Scarlett finally admits her true feelings. Will Ryoga actually figure it out? Or is he too big of a blockhead to discover it. And what the heck is the connection that the bell holds between Ryoga and Scarlett? Oi… so many questions… Well, Review! And seriously, <strong>**luger 7** **I mean not point fingers, but PLEASE! Can you say something different for when you review? I'm starting to think you're a robot man! **

_**Hey, to all you Pokemon Fans! Read and Review this Fic**: **Pokémon Ranger and Trainer Truth or Dare show! Hosted by my awesome ****buddy **_

_**summerssevenseas, also known as Clair, and me! LovelyLily13, also known as Bryanna! You'll love it! **_

_**And to all you non-pokemon fans, tell your friends who ARE Pokemon fans! Thanks! ****_~Meow~! *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose* =^-^=_ ****  
><strong>_


	9. Scarlett and Ryoga's challenge!

**Hi everyone! New chapter is up!**

* * *

><p>Scarlett was walking on the fence like she usually would. She was just minding her own business, eating ice cream, when-<p>

"NI-HOU!" Shampoo came riding her bike along the fence and knocked her into the lake. Out came Akatsune-Chan, flailing in the water. Shampoo looked closely. "Oh, you're not Ranma! You're Scarlett! I'm very sorry! See ya later!" With that, the Chinese girl rode off. Scarlett had been very lucky and had managed to not meet any cold water for a whole month since the first two days after the incident, and everyone had forgotten she was cursed! Oh, and the Shampoo speaking properly thing? She found out that Scarlett speaks Chinese _pretty_ well.

Scarlett shook herself dry as soon as she exited the water. She sighed. She was doing so well… Wait. Wasn't there supposed be a jingling noise when she shook? She looked over the water and looked at her reflection. _She _was there. Her _ribbon _was there. Her _bell_ was **_not_**. That meant everything to her!

_'My bell! What happen to my bell! I had them when I was… on the fence… and knocked into the water… IT'S IN THE WATER!'_

She thought. She looked into the lake. _'Can foxes dive…? I might as well see what happens!' _She took a deep breath in and jumped into the water. She began to dogpaddle around looking in the surprisingly clear water. She spotted the bell and swam toward it. Unfortunately, she ran out of breath right when she was going to reach it. She swam quickly to the surface. She took in a deep breath and dove again. She managed to grab the bell, and swim to the surface. She swam to the concrete and sighed. _'I need hot water…' _She ran in the direction of the dojo.

* * *

><p>Scarlett was constantly avoiding girls who tried to make her their pet as she ran toward the dojo. <em>'These chicks are crazy! I don't want to be anyone's pet!'<em> She thought. Then she met one girl.

"Oh, you're so cute! You'll be my little Annabelle!" She cheered. Scarlett sweatdropped as she backed away from the girl. Can you guess who it is? "No no no! Azusa is over here! Come to Azusa, Annabelle!" Azusa demanded.

"Grrr! Grr…!" Scarlett bared her canines. Azusa frowned.

"You come here right now!" She dove for Scarlett, who in return, jumped over her and made a mad dash for the dojo.

_'This one is insane! I gotta turn back into myself and fast!'_

She thought. Azusa was hot on her tail! No pun intended. She spotted the Tendo Residence. She kicked into high gear and ran inside. Kasumi gasped.

"Oh my! There's a fox in the house!" She shouted. She was holding a pot of warm water. Scarlett jumped for it over and over. She heard Azusa closing in. She jogged in place before running toward the bathroom where Akane was taking a bath.

"A fox?" She said. Scarlett jumped into the tub. "Hey!" Scarlett's head popped out. "Scarlett? Oh that's right, you went to Jusenkyo. Why do you look so panicked?" She asked. Scarlett spit out her bell (Foxes don't have hands, that's how they hold stuff.) She tied it back onto her ribbon.

"There is this crazy chick named Azusa after me! Well… my fox form. She keeps calling me Annabelle!" She explained frantically. Akane shrieked.

"Oh my god! Hide Miyu! She'll take anything she thinks is cute! She almost took P-Chan from me!"

"WHAT! Where's Miyu?"

"CCAAATTTT!" They heard Ranma scream. The girls had sweatdropped.

"Found her." Scarlett muttered. She wrapped a towel around herself and ran in the direction of Ranma's scream. She picked Miyu up and rushed into Akane's room.

"Meow." Miyu said.

"Shh! Miyu don't say anything!" She hid Miyu under the bed. "Stay there until I say to come out." She whispered. Suddenly, Azusa burst into the room.

"Where is Azusa's little Annabelle?" She asked. Scarlett glared.

"Do you mind, I am trying to change here!" She hissed. Azusa blinked.

"I'm sorry. Azusa will look somewhere else." She closed the door. Scarlett sighed. She dressed herself and peeked out of the room. She closed the door.

"Miyu, you're going to have to hide in here until that crazy Azusa girl is outta town okay? I'll give you a big tuna if you do." She insisted.

"Nya~!" Miyu purred.

"So we have a deal?" Miyu nodded. Scarlett smiled. She left the room. She saw Azusa pulling on Genma's Panda form.

"Oscar! Come with Azusa, Oscar!" She demanded. Scarlett glared. She slapped Azusa's hand off of Genma. "Hey!"

"Hey yourself! Why don't you go home and leave Uncle Panda alone." She snapped. Azusa glared.

"This is Azusa's Oscar! He's mine and I'm taking him home!" She hissed.

"No you aren't!" Scarlett spat. Akane and Ranma rushed downstairs, Ranma being in his girl form. They dragged Scarlett in the corner.

"What do ya think you're doin'?" Ranma snapped. Scarlett blinked.

"I think that I'm making sure that insane chick doesn't steal Uncle Panda." She answered. Akane shook her head.

"That's a bad idea! She might-!" Scarlett looked over the two girls' shoulder and saw that Azusa had a struggling Genma near the door.

"Hey!" She ran in front of the door with her arms stretched out. "I said no!" Azusa glared at her.

"Fine! I challenge you and your chosen partner to a Martial Arts Figure Skating match! The winner gets to keep Oscar!" She snapped. Akane and Ranma groaned. Scarlett scoffed and nodded.

"Alright then, you're on! What time and place?" She asked. Azusa glared.

"Three weeks from now at the skating rink!" Azusa declared. Scarlett nodded. "But first, Azusa will officially introduce herself!" Scarlett blinked. "Azusa Shiratori of the Golden Pair! The number one figure skating martial artists!" She said. Scarlett nodded.

"I'm Scarlett Saotome of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes-Martial Arts." She declared. Azusa smiled.

"You'll be back with Azusa soon Oscar!" She left with that. Scarlett slammed the door.

"That girl irks my nerves!" She growled.

"You don't even have a partner…" Akane sighed. Scarlett blinked.

"But…what about Ranma?" She asked. Ranma shook his head.

"Sorry. But they only fight couples." She sighed. Scarlett groaned.

"Oh man…I'd ask Kouki but he isn't that skilled at fighting yet…I'm going out to think."

"How'd I get myself into this mess… is Uncle Panda _really_ worth this trouble…? He took me in…left me…Then banned me from dating until I'm seventeen…" Genma came rolling on a ball and held up a sign.

_'EIGHTEEN! I've changed it to eighteen!'_ It read. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Good thing I don't listen to him… But I know he means well!" She sighed. "I guess I need to find a boy partner to help me in this match. One who's really strong…nice…cute…can ice skate…and he shouldn't do things that would make me want to hit him…who do I know that's like that?" She muttered. As she walked on, she failed to notice that Nabiki had heard it all. She smirked.

"Hmm. The boys at school will love to hear this one." She said.

* * *

><p><strong>The next day…<strong>

Scarlett had popped her head through her white shirt and put on her dress. After curling the ends of her straight hair, she placed a blue bow in it. She checked to make sure that her ribbon and bell were straight and nodded to herself.

"Ready for another day." She picked up her bag and trumpet and walked downstairs. Nabiki smirked at her.

"The boys at school _really_ like you. Huh Scarlett?" She asked. Scarlett blinked.

"Um… I guess. But none of them are really my type if that's what you're talking about." She walked past her. Nabiki smirked again. Scarlett looked over her shoulder. "Hey Ranma! Akane! Let's go!" The two rushed downstairs and out the door.

Scarlett ran on the wall parallel to the fence Ranma ran on. Akane and Nabiki ran on the ground.

"We're gonna be late! Ranma this is your fault!" Akane accused.

"How is it my fault? We ain't late yet don't even think about startin' that with me!" Ranma retorted. A vein popped on Scarlett's head.

"If you two even think about starting that bull I'll play my trumpet in your ears every five minutes!" She snapped. The two knew that she wasn't kidding and kept quiet. The group of four ran into the school and into the class. "There. We aren't late, now shut up." She hissed. The boys looked at them. She blinked and looked at Akane. "Are they looking at you or me?" She asked. Akane shrugged.

"One way to find out." She walked toward her desk, but the boys didn't follow her movements. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"There's our answer… Hey guys, what's up?" She asked. Nabiki chuckled and went to her seat. Scarlett bit her bottom lip. That was _never_ a good sign. The guys all ran up to her causing her to flinch and inch closer to her cousin/brother.

"Scarlett, is what Nabiki told us true? That you're looking for a boyfriend?" One boy asked.

Scarlett glared at her. "No. I'm not looking for a boyfriend. I'm just looking for a partner-"

"I'll be your partner!" Another boy said.

"Wha?" Scarlett asked. Tatewaki Kuno ran through the crowd and took Scarlett's hands.

"Pigtailed-girl's cousin…" He sighed. Scarlett sweatdropped.

'That's right… no one told the goof that I'm Ranma's cousin.' She thought.

"Do not listen to any of these simple minded fools." He brought her into him. "For I am the ultimate partner for you. We are to be married-"

"Never!" Scarlett hissed while kicking the medieval doofus off of her. "That's not the type of partner I'm talking about! I need a _skating_ partner! I've been challenged and I need a partner for it. It's a figure skating martial arts match. And since none of you can perform martial arts, none of you can be my partner." She hissed. The boys all sulked and went to their seats. However, Kuno jumped in front of her and started swinging his sword around.

"Alas, I am unbeatable when it comes to combat!" He declared. Scarlett rolled her eyes. She caught his sword and snatched it from him.

"Yeah, but when you little _stick_ is taken away, you're helpless." She retorted. She smirked. "Fine then, I'll make you a deal. Meet me during after school at the ice skating rink. You are going to fight me. If you win, you can be my partner, if you don't I get five thousand yen from you." She declared. Kuno took his sword stick thing from her.

"Fine. As you wish!" He went to his seat. Scarlett smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>AFTER SCHOOL!<strong>

Everyone was in the skating rink surrounding the ice. Scarlett was pouring paint. She made a large rectangle.

"Alright, here's the deal! The person who is either knocked out, or knocked out of the rectangle is the loser. Got it Kuno?" She said. Kuno nodded.

"Yes! Now, we proceed in combat!" He skated toward Scarlett with his sword thing held high. He swung at her, only for her to skate out of the way in a really elegant fashion. She smirked. He charged again, swinging over and over, her dodging easily.

Nabiki and her friends were all walking around. "Place your bets! Who do you think is gonna win!" Most of the bets were on Kuno. Nabiki called out to Scarlett. "You better win!" She called.

Scarlett decided that it was time for her to fight back. She threw several punches and kicks, only a few missing. Kuno then swung at Scarlett, sending her flying back. She had her blades cut into the ice to help her stop.

"I'm done playing." She growled. She then skated toward Kuno at top speed. She kicked his sword out of his hands and kneed him in the gut, sending him backwards and out of the rectangle. She smirked. "I win." She chimed. She skated up to Kuno and held her hand out. "You owe me five thousand yen." She then skated out of the rink with her money, while Nabiki collected her own money.

* * *

><p>Scarlett was humming her tune of victory as she tried on some ice skates.<p>

"These work." She chimed. Ranma raised an eyebrow.

"What do you need new ice skates for?" He asked. Scarlett smiled.

"My old ones are a little run down. So I need new ones." She answered. She looked to the side and saw Ryoga through the store window. He was trying to figure out where he was, as usual.

"Am I in Japan or am I in China?... Or am I in New York?" He asked himself. Scarlett smirked.

"Hey Ranma, come on." She pulled him into the lady's room. Luckily, there were no ladies in it. She wet a bar of soap, poored water over Ranma, and scrubbed the soap on her visiable skin.

"What are you doin'?" She asked. Scarlett then wet Ranma with hot water. She didn't change back.

"Shampoo's special soap. Wanna mess with Ryoga's head?" Scarlett asked. Ranma smirked.

"Yeah, do I have to talk like you or me?" She said. Scarlett smirked.

"Like me, but you have to wear a ribbon, a bell and a dress. Wait here." She rushed out of the bathroom and paid for her skates, a blue ribbon with a bell similar to hers, and a dress. She pushed Ranma into a stall. "Here you go." She waited and smirked when Ranma came out.

"You have to put on a pigtail." Scarlett did just that. The two Saotomes smirked. "Let's go." Ranma said with a smirk. When they exited, they saw Ryoga asking for directions. The man he asked pointed one direction, Ryoga bowed and went the other way. Scarlett and Ranma sweatdropped.

"Everytime I think he can't get more lost, he proves me wrong." Scarlett said with astonishment. She looked at Ranma. They ran up to Ryoga and they both took his arms.

"Hi Ryoga!" They chimed in unison. He looked at them both.

"H-hey! Ranma, get off my arm!" He said while glaring at Scarlett. She gave a pout.

"But I'm Scarlett." She said.

Ranma smirked. "No you aren't, _I'm_ Scarlett!" She retorted. The two girls smirked. "Ryoga, you can tell who's Scarlett and who's Ranma, right?" She pleaded. Ryoga looked at them both.

"Um..." They hopped off of him and placed their hands on their hips at the same time.

"Ryoga, this shouldn't be that hard! You know me!" They said in unison. Ryoga sweatdropped. He ran his fingers through his hair.

"Well... you two really look alike... Oh! I got it! Ranma, there's a cat behind you!" He shouted while pointing behind them. They both shrieked.

"GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" They hid behind Ryoga. He sighed.

"Scarlett. You're pretty good at acting." He said while looking down at Ranma.

"I'm Ranma." She said.

"No, _I'm_ Ranma." Scarlett mimicked.

"Stop! I've got a headache..." He sighed.

"Why don't you come to the dojo! Kasumi can make you some tea!" Ranma offered. Ryoga smiled.

"Okay, now I know that _you're_ Scarlett. Ranma would never be that nice to me." He said. A vein popped on the back of Ranma's head.

"How do you know if that she's not Ranma _acting_ like me. Or maybe I'm Ranma and that _is _Scarlett." Scarlett said. Ranma blinked. Ryoga held his head.

"I'm confused." He sighed. The girls took his arms.

"Come on!" They cheered. They gave each other a thumbs up.

Scarlett and Ranma sat next to each other, smiling at Ryoga.

"This has gone on for thirty minutes! I give up!" He shouted.

"You sure?" They said. Ryoga nodded. Ranma smiled.

"I'm Scarlett." Scarlett blinked.

"No I am... Or am I Ranma?" Scarlett and Ranma blinked.

"We forget who's who." They sighed with sweatdrops. Ryoga sighed.

He perked. "I know!" He got a bucket with cold water in it. He threw it at the girls, attempting to turn one of them into a fox kit.

"AH!" They shrieked. The girls glared at him.

"We used Shampoo's soap you ass." Ranma hissed. Miyu suddenly came downstairs. Ryoga picked the cat up and shoved it at the girls faces. They both screamed, but one girl's scream was louder than the other's.

"HA! You're Ranma!" He said while pointing at Ranma. Ranma nodded.

"Alright, you figured it out. I'm gonna go change. Maybe I'll get some okonomyaki, you wanna come?" She asked. Scarlett shook her head. Ranma left without a second thought. Something clicked in Scarlett's head.

"Ryoga, will you be my skating partner!" She asked. Ryoga blinked.

"Skating partner?" He repeated. Scarlett nodded.

"Yeah! This crazy girl named Azusa was chasing after my fox form, then when I come home, she's trying to bring Uncle Panda home with her, calling him Oscar. I say no and she challenged me to an ice skating match! I need a partner! Please Ryoga!" She explained quickly. Ryoga frowned.

"But I can't ice skate." He said. Scarlett smiled.

"I'll teach you! Please Ryoga! I'm begging you!" She pleaded. She gave him a puppy dog face. Ryoga sighed.

"Fine..." He sighed and gave in. Scarlett tackled him with a hug.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" She squealed. Ryoga blinked.

"You're welcome, I guess." He muttered. "So when is this match of yours?" He asked.

"Three weeks from today. Alright, we are going to the skating rink! Come on!" She took his hand and ran.

* * *

><p>Scarlett sighed when she saw Ryoga on the floor.<p>

"Gee, you can't even stand up? Okay, we'll work on that." She offered him both hands. He took them and she pulled him up. "Alright, just follow me." Scarlett skated backwards and Ryoga followed her. "You're a natural!" She chimed. She let him go, and the minute she did, the poor boy fell again. "I take it back." She sighed.

"S-sorry Scarlett." Ryoga muttered.

"Don't worry about it! We have three weeks, you'll do fine!" She took his hands and skated backwards again. "One...Two...One...Two. There you go!" She chimed. Ryoga smiled.

"Yeah! Alright, let go." He said. Scarlett raised an eyebrow but nodded and let go. Ryoga didn't fall. "See, I'm good!" He chimed. Scarlett turned around and folded her arms.

"Three... two... one." Ryoga fell over. She smirked. She helped him up. "Maybe you should take a break." She helped him off the ice. She sat Ryoga down in a little restaurant. Someone walked up to them.

"H-hi Scarlett." He greeted. Scarlett and Ryoga looked in the direction of the voice.

"Hi Kouki!" She chimed. Kouki blushed.

"I-I...I th-thought our lesson w-was today." He said. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"I'm sorry Kouki. But I'm preparing for a match." She apologized.

"You are? Then why are you in a skating rink?" He asked. Scarlett smiled.

"It's a martial arts figure skating match. I needed a partner, so I convinced Ryoga to help me out. Unfortunately, I need to teach Ryoga to ice skate. Maybe we can put the lesson on hold!" She chimed. Kouki nodded. She turned to Ryoga. "Oh! Ryoga, this is my friend Kouki Beryl. I'm teaching him martial arts. Kouki, this is Ryoga Hibiki." She introduced. Kouki nodded to him. Ryoga nodded back.

"Hey." They said to each other. Scarlett smiled.

"Why don't you guys talk while I get some cocoa!" She offered while she walked away. Kouki watched her before looking back at Ryoga.

"So you're the one who gave Scarlett that ribbon and bell right?" Kouki asked. Ryoga nodded. Kouki smiled. "You sure are lucky Ryoga." He muttered. Ryoga looked at him.

"Why?" He asked. Kouki smiled at him.

"You're lucky to have such a great girlfriend." He answered. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Scarlett isn't my girlfriend." He declared. Kouki smiled.

"That's great!" He cheered. Ryoga smirked at him.

"Why? You love her?" He asked. Kouki blushed before nodding.

"Yeah, I mean why wouldn't I?" He looked at her, she was waiting in line to get the cocoa. "She's so beautiful, nice, sweet, friendly, graceful, and intelligent. I can't help but love her." Ryoga glanced at the redhead. Kouki sighed. "I sound pretty stupid don't I?" He asked. Ryoga shook his head.

"Nah. Truth is, I have the same feelings for a girl named Akane, she's gonna be Scarlett's cousin-in-law unfortunately." He sighed. Kouki's face became terrified.

"Why, is Scarlett getting married to Akane's cousin?" He asked worriedly. Ryoga shook his head.

"No, Scarlett isn't getting married! It's the other way around." He sighed. Kouki blinked.

"Oh, so Akane is getting married to _Scarlett's_ cousin. Ranma right?" He asked. Ryoga nodded. "Awe dude, that's heavy." He said sympathetically. Ryoga shook his head.

"I don't care. I'm gonna win Akane over if its the last thing I do!"

"If what's the last thing you do?" A female voice asked. Ryoga turned around.

"AKANE!" He shrieked. Akane smiled.

"Hi Ryoga!" She chimed. She sat next to him. She looked at Kouki. "Hi, you're Taiki right?" She asked. Kouki sweatdropped.

"Um, I'm _Kouki_." He corrected. She sweatdropped.

"Sorry! I'm Akane Tendo." She greeted. Kouki nodded. Scarlett noticed Akane and held up the number four to the employee. She got the cocoa seconds later.

"Hi Akane." She chimed. Akane smiled. Kouki scooted over a seat and Scarlett sat down next to him and gave everyone their cocoa. "What are you doing here?" She asked. Akane sipped her cocoa.

"I wanted to see your progress with Ryoga." She said with a wink. Scarlett blushed.

"M-my progress? W-what are you talking about? Y-y-you m-mean on t-teaching him h-how to ice skate r-right?" She stammered. Akane smirked.

"Yeah, _that's_ the progress I'm talking about." Sarcasm was dripping out of her voice. Scarlett laughed.

"Hahaha! Right! Well, poor guy can't stand up for more than three seconds!" She shrieked. The whole table sweatdropped. She then took her cup and chugged down her cocoa. Akane sweatdropped.

"Isn't that hot?" She asked.

"Scorching!" Scarlett squeaked, her voice high and raspy. She stood. "Excuse me!" She squeaked and ran into the bathroom. Akane walked after her. The boys blinked.

"Well, that was weird." Ryoga muttered and sipped his cocoa calmly. Kouki's eye twitched.

"You don't get it do you?" He growled. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Get what? And what's with the sudden change of attitude?" He asked. Kouki glared at him.

"Dammit Ryoga. Scarlett is in love with you!" He snapped quietly. Ryoga blinked.

"Yeah right. What makes you think she's in love with me?" He laughed. Kouki sighed.

"That bell and ribbon! She never takes it off! She treats it as if it were her most precious item." He grumbled. Ryoga blinked.

"We're just friends Kouki! She keeps it on all the time because I asked her too! I'm horrible with direction so the bell will help me find her!" He laughed with a sweatdropped. Kouki sighed before smiling.

"Yeah, you're right." _'No he isn't.' _He thought. "I wish I could get her to love me back..."

"Who?" Scarlett asked. Kouki shrieked.

"N-no one!" He muttered. Scarlett sighed.

"So Ryoga, we should get back on the ice. Let's go." She chimed and took his hand. She ran onto the ice with him. Akane smirked. Kouki grimaced. She looked at him.

"You like her don't you?" She asked. Kouki nodded.

"It's a chain of heartbreak." He muttered. Akane looked at him.

"What?" She asked.

"I love Scarlett, Scarlett loves Ryoga, Ryoga loves you, and you love Ranma. No one really wins unless Ranma loves you back." He sighed. Akane gasped.

"Ryoga loves me?" She asked. Kouki's eyes widened.

'She didn't know? Play dumb! PLAY DUMB!'

He thought. "What? Ryoga loves you? Wow, who told you that?" He asked. Akane sweatdropped.

"Um...you did." She said. Kouki sweatdropped.

"Well...I...was just...trying to make the chain longer! I mean, it wouldn't be that much of chain if it was just me, Scarlett, and Ryoga! Actually that would be a love triangle, but not really because the boys don't love the same girl-You know what? I think that _is_ a chain! Problem solved! Bye Akane!" He ran out of the restaurant. Akane sweatdropped.

"What was that?"She asked. She heard a crash."What was _that_?" She ran toward the rink to see Ryoga sprawled across the ice and Scarlett sitting on him. Though it appears that she fell on him as she had a dazed look on her face. She shook her head and pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We're gonna get creamed..." Scarlett muttered.

* * *

><p><strong>...Yeah. Wish her luck!<strong>

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	10. Scarlett and Ryoga's Challenge! Part 2!

**Hi everyone! New chapter is up! READ IT! =^.^=**

* * *

><p>Scarlett was smiling as Ryoga stood on the ice. She clapped her hands together.<p>

"Great! Now that you can stand, let's get you to skate!" She cheered.

_*Geez, teaching him was a pain in the neck. Literally! Every time he fell, he dragged me down with him! But it was worth the time I spent with him!*_

Scarlett took one of his hands and skated with him. Ryoga was good at standing on ice, just not moving on it. She stopped and he fell forward, bringing her down with him.

"Sorry." He sighed. Scarlett smiled.

"It's fine Ryoga. Do you know how to roller skate?" She asked as she helped him up. Ryoga nodded. "Good. Ice skating is just like rollerskating. Just balance your weight and move." She took his hand and began to skate, he struggled at first, but he got better. "Great!" They stopped. "Alright, now let's see how you do on your own." She chimed. She let go and skated a good distance away from him. "Come over here!" She instructed. Ryoga looked at her.

"Okay!" He skated toward her. He started out rocky but made it to her smooth. "Hey, I did it!" He sighed. Scarlett hugged him. He turned red.

"Yes! We're gonna beat Azusa and her partner!" She realized she was hugging him and parted, her face was red. "Come on, let's get out of here. Maybe we could go to the Cat Café or to Uuchan's. Or we can get a milkshake!" She cheered. Ryoga blinked at her. She sweatdropped. "What? Skating makes me hungry!" She chirped. Ryoga chuckled.

* * *

><p>Scarlett ate her ice cream cake happily. "Being in that ice rink has made me crave all kinds of cold stuff!" She giggled. Ryoga chuckled. She looked at him. "Ryoga, there's something I wanna say to you..." She squeaked. He looked at her.<p>

"What is it Scarlett?" He asked. Scarlett blushed and closed her eyes.

"I..." She began. Ryoga looked at her patiently. She shook her head. "Have you seen P-Chan around here anywhere? Akane and I are getting worried about him!" She asked hastily. Ryoga looked a bit panicked.

"P-Chan? You mean Akane's pet pig? Sorry, I haven't!" He stood. "I gotta go!" He ran out of the little café they were at. Scarlett stood.

"Wait!" She called. She sweatdropped. "Well, there goes that opportunity." She sighed. She walked out of the café.

* * *

><p><em>Next week...<em>

"Alright Ryoga, tomorrow is the day that we fight Azsua and her partner." Scarlett said.

Ryoga nodded. "Right. So, what do we do today?" He asked. Scarlett smiled and held up her wallet.

"Go shopping!" She cheered. Ryoga's face paled. Scarlett grabbed his arm and dragged him away. "This is an ice skating competition, we need the right outfits!" She chirped. He struggled to get out of her grip, once he did, Scarlett had grabbed his ear.

"Ow ow ow!" He whined.

"Come on Ryoga, don't be such a crybaby. It won't be long, don't worry!"

"It's when you say 'don't worry' that I worry most!" He sighed. Scarlett rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>"This is the fifth one Scarlett!" Ryoga sighed as he changed. He heard Scarlett giggle.<p>

"Come on Ryoga, man up and stop your whining! It's not like I'm making you wear a _dress _or anything!" She laughed.

Ryoga sighed as he stepped out of the changing room.

"This one is fine." He said. Scarlett looked him over. It sort of looked like a bright blue and green version of his green skating outfit. (You know...the one he was forced to wear when he fought with Azusa along side girl Ranma?) She nodded.

"Okay, it suits you." She chirped. Ryoga sighed of relief and changed back into his normal attire.

"Great, can we go now?" He asked. Scarlett shook her head.

"No way! We still have to find _my _outfit!" She declared. Ryoga groaned as Scarlett dragged him to the women's section.

She picked out an outfit and went into the changing room. Ryoga looked around, trying to find an escape route out of here.

His head snapped forward when he heard the door open again. Scarlett came out wearing a bright blue leotard, with a short, deep sapphire blue skirt. It hugged her figure well and had a flower design on the side.

"What about this one?" She asked. Ryoga was at a loss for words.

"Uh..." He squeaked. Scarlett looked over herself.

"Geez, is it that bad?" She asked. Ryoga shook his head.

"No, you look great!" He squeaked. Scarlett smiled.

"Great! I thought it would go well with my ribbon and bell." She chimed. She changed into her normal attire and purchased the outfits. As they left, they heard:

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! CAT! CCCCAAAATTTT! GET IT OFF! GET! IT! OFF! AAAHHHH!" Bingo. Female Ranma was running at top speed with Shampoo on her head. "AAAAHHHH!" And then, it happened.

"Meow~!" She purred. She began to run on all fours causing havoc by breaking fruits stands and stealing someone's fish...

Scarlett sweatdropped and held her bag out to Ryoga.

"Hold this please?" He took it from her. She stepped forward, got on her knees and patted her lap. "Here kitty kitty! Here Ranchan!" She called. Ranma looked up with a fried fish tail hanging out of her mouth. She swallowed and ran up to Scarlett before jumping onto her lap and curling up. "Good kitty." Scarlett sighed as she stroked the top of Ranma's head. The cat girl fell asleep. Ryoga bent over and blinked.

"Should I ask?" He asked. Scarlett shook her head.

"You shouldn't." She stated. She smiled. Ranma's eyes snapped open. She looked up at Scarlett. "Good morning!" Scarlett sang. Ranma blinked.

"Uh...yeah. Morning Lechan." She said. Scarlett raised her hand.

"Get off." She said simply and slapped Ranma off.

"OW! Geez, why do you always slap me off?" She asked while rubbing her cheek.

"Well maybe you should get off quicker." Scarlett retorted. Both Saotomes got up and dusted themselves off. Ranma noticed Ryoga.

"Hey P-Chan, went shopping with Scarlett?" She asked. Ryoga glared at her.

"Who are you calling P-Chan?" He hissed. Scarlett blinked.

"You. P-Chan!" Ranma hissed. The two glared at each other. Scarlett got between them with her hands on their chests.

"Whoa whoa whoa! Time out!" She snapped. She looked at Ranma. "Why are you calling Ryoga P-Chan?" She asked. Ryoga and Ranma sweatdropped.

"Uh..." They said. Ranma saw a bucket of water just laying there and took the oporttunity. She and Ryoga took the bucket.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett asked. They tossed it at her. "AH! That's cold! No fair you guys!" She shrieked before changing her form. "Yip yap!" She glared at her cousin. Shampoo looked at the fox.

"Meow?" She asked. Scarlett smirked and whispered something in the cat's ear. They nodded to each other. Shampoo jumped onto Ranma, this caused the redhead to scream and run toward the Tendo Residence. Scarlett glared at Ryoga and jumped onto him, scratching and biting him.

"Ow, get off! OW! AKATSUNE-CHAN!" He shrieked. Scarlett smirked once she was satisfied and got off. "I admit, I deserved that. But still, attacking me was messed up!" He huffed. He picked Scarlett up and placed her clothes in her bag and walked toward Uuchan's (Though his prime target was the Tendo Dojo)

When he entered, he sweatdropped. "This isn't the dojo..." Scarlett sweatdropped as well.

"Oh, hey Ryoga. You want some okonomiyaki?" Ukyo asked. Ryoga nodded. "Some hot water?" She asked as she looked at Scarlett.

"Yap." She said simply. Ukyo tipped the pot of hot water over her.

"Wait, not yet!" Ryoga shouted. Ukyo stopped.

"Oh right." She said with a sweatdrop. She took Scarlett out of his arms, and took the bag from him as well. After a couple minutes, Scarlett came back, fully clothed and human. "So Lechan? What's with the whole figure skating get up?" She asked as she had seen Scarlett's outfit in her bag. She gave them some okonomiyaki.

"Well, some stupid chick named Azusa challenged me to a martial arts figure skating competiton. As a martial artist, I had no choice but to except. I needed a partner, so I asked Ryoga." She explained as she took a bite out of her okonomiyaki.

Ukyo nodded. "I see. So your going to fight Azusa and win right?" She asked. Scarlett nodded.

"Duh. I'm a Saotome. I have to win because in a way, my honor as a martial artist depends on it." She explained. Ryoga nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Although, Scarlett's been making me stay at the Tendo Residence because she's afraid I'll get lost." He muttered. "It's a bit embarrassing." He sighed. Scarlett nodded and bit her okonomiyaki.

"Maybe, but if I want to win my match against Azusa, Imma need my partner to be with me. Not in Brazil." She sighed. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Oh come on! I don't get _that_ lost do I?" He asked. Ukyo and Scarlett stared at him. Ukyo looked down to the stove and began to make more okonomiyaki, while Scarlett stuffed her mouth with the treat. Ryoga sweatdropped again. "Seriously..." He groaned.

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

Ryoga came out of the men's changing room, wearing the outfit Scarlett had purchased for him. Speaking of Scarlett, the Saotome girl came running up to him.

"Ryoga, come on, the competition's gonna start." She said.

She looked at him to see that he still had his yellow bandana on his head. She smiled and held something out to him. He looked at it. It was a bandana, it looked just like his, only it was green instead of yellow. She smiled.

"What's this?" He asked.

"I thought it would match your outfit better than your yellow one. I spent most of my money, so I had to make one." She answered. Ryoga looked at it. He smiled and took it.

"Gee, thanks." He said. He frowned when he saw her hands. "What happened to your hands?" He asked. He took hold of one of them. It was a bit cut up.

"Oh, I kinda stabbed myself with the needle a couple times. But," She took off his yellow bandana and tied on the green one on his head. "It was worth it." She chirped. Ryoga blushed.

"You...went through all this trouble for me?" He asked. Scarlett nodded and took his hand in both of hers.

"Of course I did. You're my partner and my friend. I'd do anything for you." She chirped. She blinked a couple times. "As long as it's nothing perverted." She added. Ryoga smiled at her.

"Yeah. Same here." He said.

* * *

><p>Finally the skating rink lit up. The announcer spoke.<p>

"It's finally time for the Oscar Award Skating Competition! The competition that decides who gains custody of Oscar the Panda! Will it be the Golden Pair, Mikado Sanzenin and Azusa Shiratori, or the challengers? Ryoga Hibiki and Scarlett Saotome!" He announced. Genma waved his paw for Scarlett to come over to him. She did. He held a sign up.

_"Scarlett, you better win this!" _It read. Scarlett glared at him.

"Cool it Uncle Panda, or I might just let her take you!" She snapped. Genma sweatdropped.

_"S-Sorry."_ His sign read. Scarlett huffed and skated back to her partner.

She and Ryoga nodded. "The one who makes the first move wins, so let's go!" She grabbed his hand and they jumped, aiming a kick for Azusa and her Mikado. They dodged. "Okay, maybe I should've seen that coming…" She muttered. Ryoga smiled.

"Oh come on. We still made the first move. Let's finish this quick!" He declared. He whispered something in her ear. She nodded. They skated in opposite directions. Azsua and her partner watched cautiously.

"What are they doing...?" Mikado asked. He was unaware of how Ryoga had sneaked behind him, like Scarlett had done to Azusa. They skated at top speed and punched their opponents. Though, with Ryoga's strength, Mikado partner took more damage than she did.

Ryoga and Scarlett skated away. They high-fived each other.

"Good idea." Scarlett cheered. Azusa then skated past them, grabbing Ryoga's hand. "Hey!" Scarlett shouted. Mikado then picked Scarlett up bridal style.

"You must be my Pigtailed-pretty's twin sister." He said. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"Pigtailed-pretty? Fiery red hair in a pigtail right?" She asked. He nodded. "You can say that I'm her sister…" She muttered. She blinked. "HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING! PUT ME DOWN!" She demanded. He leaned down. "What are you doing?" She asked. Scarlett's eyes widened as he got closer. Ryoga noticed this. He twitched somewhat.

"Hey, what are you doing!" He shouted. Scarlett pushed herself off and skated toward him.

"We weren't doing anything I swear!" She shouted. Azusa smirked.

"You're _wide _open!" She said. Ryoga blinked. Azusa slid down and grabbed his legs, tripping him. "See?" Scarlett grabbed his hands. Mikado grabbed Azusa and pulled her, Ryoga, and Scarlett up over his head. He began to spin rapidly.

"Now it's time for the Golden Pair's Goodbye Whirl!" The announcer cheered. "The signature move of the Golden Pair! They will continue spinning until the male of the opponent couple let's go, either way they will both end up crashing into a wall." He shrugged. Genma cringed.

_"RYOGA YOU BETTER NOT LET GO!"_ He read.

Scarlett held onto Ryoga. She looked at him. "Ryoga let go!" She shouted. Ryoga shook his head.

"Are you insane? You'll crash into the wall if I do!" He shouted. Scarlett shook her head.

"Trust me I have and idea, and I'm starting to get dizzy!" She said. Ryoga bit his bottom lip.

"You sure?" He asked. Scarlett nodded. Ryoga loosened his grip. He then tightened it. "I can't! You'll get hurt!" Scarlett glared.

"I swear, if you don't let go, I'll bite you." She hissed. Ryoga cringed.

"I don't care!" He snapped. Scarlett smile.

_'He really does care for my well being…'_ She thought. She sighed and bit him hard. He let go. "Said I would!" She shouted. She flew back. She flipped so that her back was facing the wall. She used her feet to bounce off the wall. She aimed a kick at Azusa's partner's feet. Tripping him and sending him, Ryoga, and Azusa crashing to the ice… Okay, Azusa let go of Ryoga and he used his hands to land of his feet. He skated up to Scarlett.

"You do _not_ know how much your teeth hurt me." He mumbled. Scarlett laughed.

"You should've listened to me!" She chirped.

"I was worried about you! You can't blame me!" He retorted. Scarlett blushed and smiled. The Golden [aorgot up.

"That wasn't nice!" Azusa snapped. Scarlett laughed.

"In the world of martial arts, you can't be nice." She hissed. Azusa skated toward him.

"Azusa will keep her Oscar!" She shouted. She and Mikado both skated toward them and aimed kicks while spinning.

"Split up!" Ryoga shouted. They went in separate directions. Azusa smirked.

"Bad idea!" She and her partner (Still don't know it.) skated on the toe of their skates and spun, creating mist from the ice. The mist rose and Ryoga and Scarlett could no longer see each other.

"Hey Ryoga! Where'd you go?" She called.

"I don't know! Where are you?" He replied. Scarlett looked around, but the mist was too thick. She then remembered her bell.

"Ryoga, listen!" She called. She rang her bell. Ryoga smiled. He listened and followed the sound of the bell. He made it to her. "What do you know, this bell came in handy!" She cheered. She took his hand. "This is so I won't lose you. Now all we have to do find Azusa and her perverted partner." She huffed. She blinked. "I'm an idiot. Ryoga don't move." She said. She jumped up. "Scarlett Firey Aura Burst!" She shouted.

Coming from Scarlett's hands were balls of fiery aura that spread as she spun. The heat made the mist disappear. She landed and searched for Ryoga.

"DAMMIT RYOGA! I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE!" She shouted. She searched for Ryoga. He was in the crowd buying a chili dog. She glared. She stomped off the ice and grabbed his ear. She dragged him back onto the ice. "Really Ryoga? Really?" She huffed. Ryoga sweatdropped.

"I don't really know how I ended up there." He chuckled. Scarlett glared.

"I told you not to move!" She snapped. Ryoga sweatdropped again.

"It's not my fault!" He retorted. The Golden Pair skated toward them at top speed. Preparing to strike. Unfortunately for Scarlett and Ryoga, and fortunately for the Golden Pair, they went unnoticed.

"Why would you buy food in the middle of a fight!" She snapped.

"I was hungry!" He hissed.

"You should've eaten before we got on ice!"

"I did!"

"What? Then how are you hungry now!"

"It's called having a stomach Scarlett! Mine was empty, and I got hungry!"

Scarlett glared. "You aren't even taking this seriously are you!"

"Hard to with these stupid outfits!" He retorted. Scarlett glared at him.

"If you thought they were so stupid, then why did you let me buy it!" She snapped.

"So we could stop shopping and get this stupid thing over with!" He barked. And then...it happened.

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFY! I noticed that a lot of my chappies are ending this way… Oh well! ~Meow~! *Does peace sign before cute kitty pose*<strong>


	11. Arival of A Rival…Sorta!

**PREVIOUSLY: **_"Hey Ryoga! Where'd you go?" She called._

_"I don't know! Where are you?" He replied. Scarlett looked around, but the mist was too thick. She then remembered her bell._

_"Ryoga, listen!" She called. She rang her bell. Ryoga smiled. He listened and followed the sound of the bell. He made it to her. "What do you know, this bell came in handy!" She cheered. She took his hand. "This is so I won't lose you. Now all we have to do find Azusa and her perverted partner." She huffed. She blinked. "I'm an idiot. Ryoga don't move." She said. She jumped up. "Scarlett Firey Aura Burst!" She shouted._

_Coming from Scarlett's hands were balls of fiery aura that spread as she spun. The heat made the mist disappear. She landed and searched for Ryoga._

_"DAMMIT RYOGA! I TOLD YOU NOT TO MOVE!" She shouted. She searched for Ryoga. He was in the crowd buying a chili dog. She glared. She stomped off the ice and grabbed his ear. She dragged him back onto the ice. "Really Ryoga? Really?" She huffed. Ryoga sweatdropped._

_"I don't really know how I ended up there." He chuckled. Scarlett glared._

_"I told you not to move!" She snapped. Ryoga sweatdropped again._

_"It's not my fault!" He retorted. The Golden Pair skated toward them at top speed. Preparing to strike. Unfortunately for Scarlett and Ryoga, and fortunately for the Golden Pair, they went unnoticed._

_"Why would you buy food in the middle of a fight!" She snapped._

_"I was hungry!" He hissed._

_"You should've eaten before we got on ice!"_

_"I did!"_

_"What? Then how are you hungry now!"_

_"It's called having a stomach Scarlett! Mine was empty, and I got hungry!"_

_Scarlett glared. "You aren't even taking this seriously are you!"_

_"Hard to with these stupid outfits!" He retorted. Scarlett glared at him._

_"If you thought they were so stupid, then why did you let me buy it!" She snapped._

_"So we could stop shopping and get this stupid thing over with!" He barked. And then...it happened._

* * *

><p>"If you weren't going take this seriously then why did you agree to be my partner!" Scarlett snapped.<p>

"I'm not sure why I agreed to be your stupid partner!"

"You just called yourself stupid, Stupid!"

Scarlett and Ryoga stopped their arguing and looked toward Azusa and Mikado. They were aiming kicks for them.

"Move it!"

They both skated out of the way. Ryoga looked toward Scarlett. Her face showed anger. Hair fell onto the ice.

Scarlett stood. She glared at Azusa. "How dare you…" She growled. She charged toward her. "Now my hair is a whole inch shorter!" She kicked Azusa and sent her flying into the wall.

Genma held up a sign. _'Never cut a Saotome girl's hair.' _It read.

"Words to live by." The announcer said with a nod.

"Scarlett Final Attack!" She began. Ryoga sweatdrop. "Mystical Aura Beam!" She slammed her hand onto Azusa's chest and a bright light flashed. With that, Azusa was knocked out cold. Scarlett smirked. "Yeah, you might stay like that for a month or two. Or three." She declared.

"AZUSA IS DOWN! I REPEAT, AZUSA! IS! DOWN!" The announcer shrieked.

Scarlett glared at Mikado. "And you! You perverted freak, I'm going to do worse!" Ryoga sweatdropped.

"Uh, maybe I should handle this." He said.

"What, can't a girl get her revenge?" She growled.

"No you can, but…" He muttered.

"Fine." She grunted. "Use all you have! Knock him out for two months like with Azusa!" She growled. Ryoga sweatdropped as he skated towrd Mikado.

"Man. I'll be sure not to cut her hair. If an inch pisses her off, imagine what would happen if she got her hair chopped to the same length as Akane's." He muttered. He used his breaking point attack, which would still do damage even though it's not suppose to have an effect on people .(Considering his strength I mean.) Mikado groaned as he tried to get up. "Scarlett, I hope your ready for the Goodbye Whirl, Ryoga edition." He said, taking Scarlett's hands.

"What do you mean?" Scarlett asked with confusion. Ryoga began to spin, dragging Scarlett along, her flying as they spun. "RYOGA!" She shrieked.

"Get ready!" He shouted. After a few more spins Ryoga released Scarlett and she went flying in Mikado's direction

Scarlett shrieked as she crashed into Mikado. Scarlett groaned and Mikado passed out.

"The Golden Pair has been defeated!" The announcer shrieked. Scarlett dazed as she stood her, spirals in her eyes as she attempted to regain her balance. Eventually she fell on her bum.

Ryoga helped Scarlett up, and in return, Scarlett smacked him upside the head. "What was that for?"

"For throwing me as a weapon!" She hissed, though she was still fairly dizzy. It showed as she skated toward Genma. "There's two chains. Which one do I choose?" She shook her head and broke the chain he was tied to the stand with. "Come on Uncle Panda, let's go."

* * *

><p>Scarlett sighed as she walked around Nerima. It had been about four and a half weeks since the challenge from Mikado and Azusa, and she really needed to relax. But in Nerima, that wasn't likely. She went to the Cat Cafe. While Ukyo was Scarlett's long time friend, for some reason, the redhead just felt better talking with Shampoo. Even if the conversation had to be in Chinese.<p>

"Shampoo-chan?" She asked. Shampoo perked.

"Ni-hou Scarlett!" Shampoo chirped. "What's the occassion?" She asked.

"I don't know. I just needed to talk." Scarlett said with a shrug.

"Okay. Has Ranma said anything about me?" Shampoo asked eagerly. Scarlett looked at the ceiling as she thought.

"I don't think so. Sorry."

Shampoo frowned. "Oh." She smiled. "I'm not worried. I've got a secret weapon."

"That of which, I do not want to know of."

Shampoo frowned. "Oh too bad." She looked at Scarlett's bell. "Why do you keep that around your neck?" She asked.

"This? I don't know." She muttered.

"Is it because Ryoga gave it to you?" Scarlett blushed lightly. She grabbed a bucket of cold water and tossed it at her. "Meow?"

"Sorry Shampoo. Curiosity kills the cat." She chirped before quickly exiting the Cat Cafe.

* * *

><p>Scarlett looked at the ceiling of her's and Akane's room. "Why <em>do<em> I keep this bell around my neck? Ryoga gave it to me for in case he gets lost, but it's not like he's here everyday. So why do I wear it everyday?" She asked herself. "It's obvious that Ryoga is too infatuated with Akane to love me. So why do I keep chasing after him?" She rang her bell and sighed. "I've always told myself that I would only go for a guy who likes me and only me." She closed her eyes. "Does this make me a hypocrite?"

"In a way."

"Nabiki?" Scarlett asked. She looked toward the door. Nabiki was leaning on the frame of the door, smirking. "Quit eavesdropping on me!" She barked.

Nabiki chuckled. "Right, right. Anyway, Daddy says there' some boy looking for you. Says he's a student of yours and goes under the Saotome School of Anything Goes?"

Scarlett sweatdropped. "Kouki! Right, I was supposed to be training him in the park an hour ago! Bye Nabiki!" She ran downstairs. Nabiki raised an eyebrow. She grabbed her phone.

"Hey girls. I've got a bet going on for Scarlett's love life."

"Scarlett and Ryoga of course!"

"Well, some people are betting on Scarlett and Kuno, but we all know that's not going to work. I for one think that Scarlett and Mousse would make a good couple."

"No. I've got a different idea. You know that boy in our school she's been training with?" Nabiki asked.

"Kouki Beryl?"

Nabiki nodded. "Uh-huh. I bet that by the end of the day, Scarlett and Kouki will be together." She declared.

"Nabiki, I usually don't question your decisions, but Scarlett has some strong feelings for Ryoga. I'm afraid we won't win this one."

Nabiki smirked. "Trust me. Not only will they be together, I bet that they'll have their first kiss." She insisted. "And I'll have the picture to prove it."

"Okay, we trust you."

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Kouki were in the park where Scarlett was training the boy.<p>

She smiled as Kouki broke two wooden boards. "Nice one Kouki!" She chirped. "All right, I think your ready to spar with me." She got in position. "Now, give me your best." They sparred for quite a while until Kouki tripped over and landed on Scarlett. "Okay, we're done, get off me." She said nervously. Kouki jumped off immediately.

"S-sorry Scarlett." He muttered, a blush taking over.

"It's cool." She muttered. She looked to the side.

"I didn't mean too."

"I know, it's cool." She muttered. She brushed her hair behind her ear. "We've been practicing for weeks now, why don't we do something relaxing?" She asked.

Kouki looked at her shyly. "L-like what?" He asked.

Scarlett looked up in a thinking mode. "Why don't we rent a boat to go out on the lake? Akane says that always calms her down." Kouki blushed and nodded.

"O-okay. Sounds nice." Scarlett smiled.

* * *

><p>Scarlett smiled as she watched the clouds pass by from the boat. She had one oar and Kouki held the other. "The lake is so pretty." She said as she looked at the water.<p>

"Yeah, the water sparkles in the sunlight." He muttered in awe. "U-uh…S-Scarlett?" He stammered. She looked at him. "D-do you have a…a…" Scarlett tilted her head and looked at him patiently with her stunning blue eyes.

"A…what?" She asked.

Kouki gulped. "D-Do you h-have a b-boy…boyfriend?" He asked.

Scarlett blushed. "A boyfriend?" She asked. She looked toward the water, staring at her reflection. "I-I…" She brushed her hair behind her ear. _'Well…Ryoga…I'm not sure if he's actually returned my feelings…'_ She looked at Kouki. "I…I guess not." She sighed. "W-why?" She asked. They headed toward the edge of the lake.

"I-I was wondering…" He muttered, getting out of the boat first and helping Scarlett out. "If y-you'd l-like to go out or something…sometime?" He asked. "Y-you know, like a d-date?" He asked. Scarlett stared at him, startled slightly. "I-it's okay if you don't want to! I-I mean, I'm n-not forcing you or anything! I mean you d-don't have to go on a d-date with me!"

Scarlett smiled gently. "Kouki, I'm sorry." She said.

Kouki's entire face turned red. "I knew I shouldn't have asked! Man, I'm so embarrassed!"

Scarlett sweatdropped and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not that I don't like you, I do." She sighed. "But, it's just that…I meet you in school and teach you martial arts everyday. If something went wrong it would be way too awkward." She muttered. "If it weren't for this situation, I'd say yes. Do you understand?"

"Yeah. B-but…Can you promise me that you'll keep an open mind?" He asked.

Scarlett smiled. "Sure."

"Ranma, you coward! Shampoo's mine! Now come back and die like a man!" Scarlett and Kouki looked in the direction of the sudden outburst. Mousse was chasing Ranma around.

"I ain't running, I'm tryin' to find a suitable place for us to fight you moron!" Ranma insisted.

Scarlett stepped back as Ranma landed where she was and jumped away. However, when Mousse landed, he accidentally pushed her.

"Eep!" She shrieked and fell, crashing into the water with a loud splash. _'Dammit! Now Kouki's gonna find out about my curse!'_ Scarlett thought.

After a few seconds, Akatsune-chan surfaced, gasping for air. She looked up, seeing a surprised Kouki.

"Yip yap?" Scarlett asked with embarrassment. Kouki grabbed her from the water and placed her on his lap.

"Scarlett?" She nodded. "You went to Jusenkyo huh?" Scarlett's eyes widened before nodding.

_'How does he know about Jusenkyo?'_

"My Dad used to be a martial artist. He went to Jusenkyo and fell into the Spring of Drowned Rabbit." He sighed. "So how'd you fall? Training, sight-seeing, or did you just flat out dive in thinking it was a pool for tourists?" He asked.

Scarlett grumbled. _'I have the tape if he wants to see it.'_ She thought bitterly, still holding onto the grudge against Ryoga.

* * *

><p>Kouki couldn't help but laugh as he watched the video of Ryoga dropping Scarlett into the spring. Scarlett folded her arms, her bottom lip pooched out in a full-blown pout. After a few more moments of laughter,<p>

"Koukiiiiii!" She whined.

"S-sorry! B-but it's just s-so f-funny! He caught you but th-then h-he dropped you! Hahahaha!" Scarlett groaned.

"If I knew you were going to be a jerk about it, I would never shown you." She grumbled. Kouki stopped laughing and looked at her.

"S-sorry Scarlett. I-I didn't mean to offend you." He muttered. Scarlett looked away from him, her eyes closed stubbornly. "Scarlett, come on, I'm sorry." He pleaded. She looked at him through one eye before closing it again. "Do I have to beg for your forgiveness?" He asked. This caught her attention. "Ugh, fine." He stood, walked up to her, and grabbed her hand. "Scarlett please, I beg of you, forgive me for my rudeness." He pleaded.

Though Scarlett could tell he was sincere, she could also tell that he was slightly annoyed. She looked at the ceiling, as if thinking about it.

"Well…" She muttered. She hugged him. "Okay!" He sweatdropped as a blush took over.

"W-what? That's all it took?"

Scarlett laughed. "Please! I forgave you the minute you apologized. I just thought this was funnier!" She laughed. Kouki stared at her, a look of disbelief on his face. He puffed his cheek as Scarlett continued to laugh. Within two seconds flat, Scarlett found herself pinned to the wall. "K…Kouki!" She said with shock. It had only been a few hours from when Kouki was a stammering fool! And when the heck did he get so fast?

"Stop laughing Scarlett! That wasn't nice! I honestly thought you weren't ever going to forgive me!" He hissed. Scarlett looked at him with surprise and for some reason a light fear.

"Kouki I'm sorry. I was only teasing you." She muttered. "I didn't know you were going to be so upset."

Kouki frowned. Despite being a tough girl who was almost as skilled as her older cousin, Scarlett was actually very easy to startle and intimidate. He knew this. "S-sorry. I-I didn't mean to scare you. I just kinda snap when people laugh at me." Scarlett nodded.

"It's because of how they bullied you, huh?" She asked. Kouki nodded.

"I just have so little self-esteem that my temper rises when someone laughs at me." He murmured.

Scarlett tilted her head. "Why would you have low self-esteem? You're super cute, friendly, and smart." She chirped. "While I admit you're totally shy when it comes to girls, that just adds to your charm." She chirped. "You have no reason to have self-esteem problems." Kouki blushed.

"You think so?"

"Yeah." She assured. She blinked. "You have incredibly strong grip. Seriously, you're killing my shoulders." He blushed released her.

"Sorry."

Scarlett smiled. "Yeah, it's cool." She chirped. She looked at the clock. "I gotta go. My uncle will be upset if I'm not home by now. We were supposed to do this weird activity together." She sighed. She headed toward the door.

Out of nowhere, Kouki grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "Kouki, what are you-" Kouki cut her off by kissing her. Scarlett's eyes widened. Kouki released her after a few seconds. The look in his eyes told Scarlett that he was surprised that he did that.

"S-sorry, I just really wanted to do that."

"R-right. I-I totally get it." Scarlett stammered. She had a mega huge blush on her face. "Now, I've gotta go. M-my uncle a-and," She shook her head. "I-I'll just go! Byebye!" She ran.

Kouki closed the door. "Why did I just do that?"

* * *

><p>Scarlett rested on her bed. <em>'Why did Kouki kiss me?'<em> She asked. A blush surfaced on her cheeks. _'What's just as important is why I liked it?'_ She held onto her bell._ 'What about Ryoga?'_ She shook her head. _'He doesn't love me. He loves Akane. Maybe I should consider Kouki. We might actually have something.'_ She thought. She squeezed the bell. _'Oh Ryoga…'_

_With Ryoga__…_

_**'What about Ryoga?' **_Ryoga stirred in his sleep. _**'He doesn't love me. He loves Akane. Maybe I should consider Kouki. We might actually have something.' **_Beads of sweat appeared on Ryoga's head and his hair stuck to his forehead. _**'Oh Ryoga**__**…' **_

Ryoga sat up from inside his tent. "What the hell was that?" He looked around. He poked his head out of the tent. "Scarlett?" He called. "I know I heard her." He muttered. He blinked. "Who's Kouki?" He asked. He laid back down. "I need to get to Nerima soon." Funny part was that his tent was on the top of the high school. _'Why did I hear Scarlett's voice?'_

_With Scarlett__…_

_**'Why did I hear Scarlett's voice?'**_ Scarlett's eyes widened. "What the-?" She gasped. Akane looked at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I…I just heard Ryoga!" She said.

"Ryoga? But he's not here."

Scarlett looked toward her. "I know, but I heard him! He said, why did I hear Scarlett's voice!" She blinked. "Wait, how can he hear my voice? I'm not with him." Akane blinked.

"Hmm…You can hear Ryoga, but he's not here talking to you. Ryoga can hear _you_ but you're not where he is talking to him." Akane sat up in her bed. "How does that work? You haven't said a word since you got home from that wierd activity with Mr. Saotome. What were you doing?"

"We were taking dance lessons against my will. I don't wanna talk about it."

* * *

><p><strong>I don't wanna talk about it either<strong>**. But what the heck is with the way Scarlett and Ryoga heard each other's thoughts? Does the bell have something to do with it? Ahh…Suspense. MUAHAHAHAHA! Peace! *Does peace sign and pose cutely.***


	12. Ryoga the Womanizer! My big decision!

Scarlett walked along the fence, humming as she did so. "Oh Ryoga I missed you!" A female voice cheered. Scarlett stopped dead in her tracks. She walked backwards and peered behind the corner to see Ryoga talking with a girl with greenish-brown hair.

"Yeah, it's great to see ya Akari. But what are you doing in Osaka?" Scarlett sweatdropped. She smiled.

"Who's that? His cousin?" She asked.

Akari giggled. "You big silly! We're still in Nerima!" She clapped her hands together. "I know! Why don't we go on a date to the Cat Cafe? Say three days?" She asked.

Ryoga smiled and nodded. "Yeah that sounds great." Akari handed him a map. Scarlett's eyes widened.

"A dat e!?" She shrieked. _'Does that means that she's his _girlfriend?_'_ She scowled before shaking her head. "No way. If she was his girlfriend, he wouldn't be so affectionate towards Akane. Yeah. She must be talking about something else when she said date." She hopped off of the fence and ran up to them.

"Scarlett?" Ryoga asked.

"Hi. Who's your friend?" She asked.

Akari smiled. "I'm his girlfriend. I'm Akari Unryu, and you are?" Scarlett suddenly broke into several peices. "M-Miss?!"

Scarlett recovered and laughed, sort of the same way Ryoga would when he was nervous. Her smile was strained. "Oh I'm fine! Hahahaha! I'm Scarlett Saotome." She said. She was clenching a fist behind her back. "So, you're Ryoga's _girlfriend_, huh?" Akari nodded.

"Yeah. And I couldn't be happier!" She cooed.

Scarlett's knuckles turned white as she continued to smile. "Really? That's funny," She dropped her mask and her battle aura rose. "BECAUSE I COULDN'T BE MADDER!" She slammed her fist into Ryoga and sent him flying several yards away.

Akari gasped. "Ryoga!" She ran toward him. "Are you okay?" She glared at Akari. "What did you do that for?! You big bully!" She snapped.

Scarlett glared at her. "Why I did that is none of your business, Sister." She looked at Ryoga. "But if Ryoga decides to actually let the gears in his brain function, he should know why." She growled. Scarlett snapped off her ribbon and bell. She tossed it and Akari caught it. "Now I get why Akane hates boys."She turned to face them. "Me saying I never want to see you again would mean nothing, considering we'll cross paths eventually. So I'll say this instead." She took a deep breath in. "I'M NEVER GONNA TALK TO YOU AGAIN! EVER! YOU WOMANIZER!" She ran away.

Akari looked at Ryoga. "Are you okay?"

Ryoga rubbed his cheek, which was now very swollen. "I'm fine. I've had worse damage done to me before. But I don't get why she's so mad..."

* * *

><p>Nabiki blinked as she watched Scarlett pack. "A training trip?" She asked. Scarlett nodded. "If this is about those pictures I took, I'm sorry." Scarlett looked at her.<p>

"What pictures?"

Nabiki sweatdropped. "Nevermind." She picked up one of Scarlett's shirts. "So why are you going for a training trip?" She asked.

"I dunno. I guess I wanna be stronger."

"This might be a weird question," Nabiki sighed. "Why do you train?" Scarlett looked at her. "Ranma's the heir to the school, not you. So why do you train?" She asked.

Scarlett looked forward. "The art is all I know." She sighed. "I dunno how to do anything else. How to sing, how to draw, how to cook...Well actually," She stood up and grabbed her bag. "One time, I drew this picture of Ryoga, it looked just like him. It was really good. After that, I couldn't seem to draw like that again. It was like it was a one time experience." She slung her bag over her shoulder. "The art's the only thing I have."

"You've had that bell around your neck for a long time, huh?" She asked. Scarlett blinked. Nabiki pointed to her neck. "There's a tan line around your neck."

Scarlett stood and rushed to the mirror. "Wha?!" She shrieked. A ring around her neck was lighter than the rest of her skin where her ribbon was. She sweatdropped. Nabiki sighed.

"Don't worry, I can fix this." She grabbed a scarf and tied it around Scarlett's neck. "It's one of those casual scarves. It should cover that up, but it also lets the sun in, so that tan line should even out soon. Plus the scarf looks pretty good on ya." Nabiki sighed.

Scarlett took a five-hundred yen coin from her pocket and gave it to Nabiki. "You're a real pal."

"But I didn't ask for any yen."

"Yeah, I know." Scarlett sighed. She slapped Nabiki's back. "Imma miss ya." She chirped.

Nabiki followed the red head downstairs. "Miss me? Just how long do you plan on being gone?" She asked. Everyone looked at her.

Scarlett headed for the door. She looked at the Koi pond. A koi jumped out before diving in. She returned her attention to Nabiki. "Dunno yet. Until I feel strong enough I guess. So maybe over a year or two, the least." Genma stood up.

"TWO YEARS!?" He shouted. He ran toward Scarlett and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Scarlett, you wouldn't leave your poor uncle behind would you?!"

"Uncle Panda, I'm just going on a training trip!"

"FOR TWO YEARS!" He screeched, shaking her. Scarlett babbled inaudible nonsense. Genma hugged her. "Please don't leave me Scarlett!"

"Why shouldn't I?!" Scarlett spat. Genma fell backwards. "U-Uncle?! Are you okay?" She asked. She got on her knees. "What's the matter?"

"Th-thought of you leaving is...killing me!" He gasped. He then fell limp.

Scarlett poked him a few times. She stood and went into the kitchen. She got a bucket of water, and poured it on Genma. Mr. Panda sat up immediately. Scarlett tossed the bucket to the side. "You're fine." She stood up and headed toward the door. She was just out of the gate when Genma latched onto her leg.

He held up a sign. "Don't leave me!"

Scarlett tried to free her leg. "You're acting like a spoiled child! Get off!"

Akane, Kasumi, Nabiki, Ranma, and Soun sweatdropped. "Has he always been this clingy Ranma?" Akane asked.

Ranma rubbed his temples. "The old man only acts that way for Lechan. It's really embarrassing." He walked up to Genma and grabbed one of his arms. "C'mon Old Man, let go of her!" He growled, pulling on him. The four Tendos sweatdropped.

* * *

><p>The Tendos and Saotomes walked toward the edge of the city. Scarlett was walking behind everyone, despite her being the one to be going.<p>

"RANMA SAOTOME!" They all turned around. Ranma got into a stance. Mousse was charging toward them. Shampoo was trailing along behind him.

"Ai-ya! Mousse, you no going to beat Ranma like that!" She called, running after him.

Mousse didn't listen and charged faster, only instead of Ranma, he charged right past him and slammed into Scarlett. Spirals spun in the eyes of the youngest Saotome. "I did it! I crushed Ranma!"

Ryoga and Akari peeked from the corner. "Crushed Ranma?" Ryoga asked.

"Looks like he missed his target..." Akari said with a sweatdrop.

"Stupid Duck Boy! You crush Scarlett, no Ranma!" Shampoo scolded.

Scarlett groaned. "Mu Mu-chan...!" She gasped. Mousse looked down at her and sweatdropped. "You're...heavy..." She groaned. Mousse jumped off of her.

"S-Scarlett?!" She sat up and held her head. "S-sorry!" He apologized. Scarlett grabbed Mousse's glasses from their perch on his head. She put put them on him and smiled.

"That's fine, Mu Mu-chan." She pulled out a compact mirror and looked at herself. "But I _am_ getting tired of being confused for Ranma..." She looked at her hair. She stood up and nodded. "I'vee decided. While I'm on a training trip, I'm going to dye my hair!" She declared. Everyone sweatdropped.

"WHAT?!" Genma's sign read. He flipped it. "I won't allow you to do that!"

"What? I don't want to be confused for Ranma anymore." She pouted. She went into dreamland. "I can imagine myself with dark brown hair..." She looked at the sky. "Or maybe soft brown..." She closed her eyes. "Even better, I can totally see myself as a blonde!" The redhead squealed.

"Oh no! You are not dying you hair blonde!" Ranma snapped.

Scarlett looked at Ranma. "Then I'll be a brunette!"

"YOU WERE NAMED SCARLETT BECAUSE YOUR HAIR IS RED!" He snapped. "Calling a blonde "Scarlett" wouldn't be right!" He snapped. Scarlett glared at him.

"And going under the name "Ranko Tendo" whenever Auntie Nadoka is here is?" She walked. Ranma sweatdropped. "I'm done being attacked by all of your rivals because I look like you!" She sighed. Scarlett smiled. She hugged everyone. "Byebye-! Huh?" She saw Akari and Ryoga peeking from behind the building. "Akari-chan!" She ran toward Akari and hugged her.

Akari stumbled backwards as Scarlett jumped onto her. "S-Scarlett?" Akari asked with confusion.

"Akari-chan, I know I just met you today, but I feel like I we could be great friends!" She squealed.

Akari sweatdropped. She smiled awkwardly. "O-okay." She said.

Scarlett looked at Ryoga while she hugged Akari. Immediately her face hardened. Ryoga winced. Scarlett released Akari with a smile, before glaring at Ryoga again. She stared at him. He stared back uneasily. Suddenly...

Scarlett pulled her eyelid down and stuck her tongue out.

Ryoga sweatdropped. Scarlett walked away, and stood in front of everyone. "Wait a sec." Ranma held something out to her. It was obvious he was totally freaked out as his whole body cat was fully grown now. "Take her with you! PLEASE!" He pleaded.

Scarlett took the cat from the panicking boy. She scratched under Miyu's chin. Miyu purred.

"Ranma, I'm proud that you actually managed to hold Miyu and-"

Scarlett sweatdropped.

Ranma was hiding behind Genma, quivering with fear. Scarlett blinked a couple of times as she stared at her older cousin. She tilted her head and smiled. She ran off, waving over her shoulder. "Byebye!" She called. They waved to her. Ranma and Soun struggled to hold Genma back as he wished to follow her.

* * *

><p>Three months later...<p>

Scarlett hiked around. She wasn't quite sure where she was, but she liked the terreign. It was good for training. "Miyu." The black and white cat meowed. "I've decided that if your gonna travel with me, I'm gonna train you to be a martial arts cat. That way, if we get separated, you can take care of yourself until I find you. Think you can handle that?" Miyu nodded.

"Nya!"

Scarlett grabbed a water bottle and doused herself. Akatsune-chan shook herself dry. She looked at Miyu. "Yap, yip, yip yap!" She stood up and punched the air with her cute little fox paws. She then shot many kicks. She looked at Miyu. Miyu nodded and stood on her hind legs, punching and kicking, and spinning and falling over... "Yip..." Scarlett sighed, sweatdropping. _'This might take longer than I expected it to...'_

Scarlett wrote in her journal. "I'm such a stubborn kid." She sighed. "The real reason I went on this training trip is because I just couldn't stand to be near Ryoga again." She sighed. Miyu lied in front of Scarlett. "All those times I kissed him...He never said anything about Akari." Her battle aura rose. "HE'S A WOMANIZER!" She punched the ground right in front of Miyu.

"MRRREEEEEOOOW!" Miyu shrieked. She jumped onto Scarlett's shoulder.

Scarlett sweatdropped. She petted the startled cat. "S-sorry Miyu. I didn't mean to scare you."

* * *

><p><strong>Well wasn't that interesting? Sorry for it being so short. I thought I should give you something after so long! I came up with it over night and honestly have no idea what I was thinking! Meow! *Does peace sign and pose!*<strong>


	13. Scarlett's Travels

A sixteen-year-old Scarlett watched as Miyu took down a piglet with sharp skill. The black and white cat held onto the piglet's neck with her jaws, waiting for it to stop kicking. To stop breathing.

At first, Miyu would catch the pig and bring it to Scarlett so she could finish it off and cook it, but when Scarlett would look at the pig, she would think of P-Chan. So she would let them go, and Miyu would usually get mad and climb up a tree and stay there a couple hours. Of course, being a cat, Scarlett would have to bring her down after she stopped growling.

Now, Miyu would kill the pig on the spot, and Scarlett, at first, scolded the cat, but gradually got used to the process.

Scarlett cut off the head, which for some strange and disturbingly gross reason, Miyu would demand she'd cook for her individually.

Scarlett had gained the strange ability to understand what the cat was saying, or at least most of it. She stuck a metal beam through the pig, and placed it over a fire, cooking it.

"It's a good thing Ranchan taught me the Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken technique, or you would never have caught those piglets."

"Oi, Lechan?" A girl asked. Scarlett looked over to see her Amazon companion.

A pretty girl with dark purple hair and blue eyes. Her beauty didn't quite surpass Scarlet's, but it was pretty close to equal hers. She had a single odango on the back of her head, the rest of her hair hanging from it, but at the front, she had nice forelocks framing her delicate face.

Scarlett had accidentally defeated the Amazon, but instead of the kiss of death, the girl had, instead, given Scarlett the choice taking her along on her journey for a few months, or recieve the fatal kiss. Which was weird, but Scarlett quickly agreed to allow her to come, and they became fast friends.

"Hai, Perfume-chan?" Scarlett asked, turning the pig over the fire.

"What real name?" Perfume asked.

"My real name doesn't matter. I go by Scarlett." She said.

"I no Scarlett's friend?" She asked with sadness.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Don't try that, I already know your tricks." She scoffed. Perfume pouted.

"Can Perfume guess letters?"

"Knock yourself out."

"A?"

"That's the first one."

"Y?"

"Nope."

"So Scarlett name no Ayame..."

"I promise you, when we get back to Furinkan, I'll start by going by my real name instead of my nickname, just stop asking." She sighed.

Perfume slumped as she watched the piglet cook. "Piglet take too, too long." She got ready to cook the piglet with pure ki, little ball of light beginning to form.

"No you don't!" Scarlett poked at a pressure point on Perfume's chest. A little puff of smoke came out of her hand.

Scarlett had learned from Cologne, that poking a specific pressure point with half of one's strength would keep the opponent from using any ki based attacks for a good ten minutes, which was good, because that's how much longer the piglet needed.

"Whenever you "cook" the piglet like that, Miyu has to go and hunt for a new one."

After the needed time, Scarlett finished the piglet. She tossed the head to Miyu, who played with it before eating it. Scarlett had seen the cat do this for almost a full year and a half, and it still freaked her out.

"Is creepy how Miyu play with head before eating."

"Yeah, it's pretty disturbing." Scarlett handed some of the piglet to her.

Miyu groomed herself. "Nya, mew, nya."

"Yeah, I'm tired of piglet too." She smirked at the cat. "Hey, why don't we head to the nearest town and see if we can find a place that serves cats."

Miyu stopped grooming herself. She glared at Scarlett, and jumped at her face. She used the, Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken, cat style, her paws moving at a blinding speed as she scratched Scarlett's face.

"AAAAH! IT WAS A JOKE! CAN'T YOU TAKE A JOKE?!"

* * *

><p>"Ready for a shortcut to the next town, Perfume-chan?" Scarlett asked, Miyu hidden in her jacket.<p>

The Saotome girl's face was covered in bandaids. Perfume nodded. Scarlett glared at the ground.

"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" The two girls ran underground as Scarlett tunneled around. "Wasn't it nice of one of the elders to teach me this move?" Scarlett asked as she tunneled, simply charging with her arm outstretched and her index finger pointed.

"Very, very lucky. Elder no even teach Perfume! But now Scarlett know, and now body hard as rock, no can feel pain." Perfume sighed.

"I wouldn't say I was hard as a rock and can't feel pain. I can feel pain when the opponents extremely strong. At least I think, because I haven't really met anyone like that." Scarlett chirped. _'Well, maybe Ryou...Or is it Ryoga? Yeah, it's Ryoga.'_ She heard herself chuckling. _'Haven't thought about him in so long I'm starting to forget his name, and what he looks like.'_ She smiled. _'I know he was the reason I left my home in Nerima...But once I completely forget what he looks like, I'll return home...'_ Scarlett nodded. "Perfume-chan, where do I go to dye my hair and get it cut?" She asked.

Perfume sweatdropped. "Um...Best place go is three...four months far."

"Okay, we'll train until we get there. But we'll have to start your Japanese lessons again once we get to the surface!" Pefume groaned. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"

* * *

><p>Ryoga looked around. "I go grocery shopping for Akari, and now I have no idea where I am. AGAIN!" He shouted. "Excuse me, Sir can you tell me where I am?"<p>

"You're in Hong Kong my boy." A passing man said with a poor Japanese acccent.

"HONG KONG? But I've only been walking for twenty-five minutes!" He checked his watch. "M-make that a week..." He sighed. He bowed to the man, who was now worried about Ryoga's condition. "Thank you Sir..." He walked away, sighing.

"What a strange young lad..." He heard the man say.

"Wait..." Ryoga looked around. "Hong Kong means China...CHINA MEANS JUSENKYO! I CAN GET RID OF THIS CURSE!" He was cheering like a madman, getting several stares, and making people wonder about his stability. He stopped. "But Akari loves pigs, what if she doesn't like me anymore because I got rid of my curse?" He asked. "No. Akari loved me before she knew of my curse." He closed his eyes and began to wander. "Maybe I'll keep the curse, just a little longer, then ask Akari what she thinks." He sighed. He opened his eyes. "Yeah. That's what I'll do." He closed his eyes. "I've always gotten lost because I go where I think is right. So I'll just go the opposite way."

_*That might actually work...*_

_**A week and a half later...**_

"BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Ryoga appeared from the ground. "Hey, this is Akari's house! It worked!" He cheered. He knocked on the door. "Akari, I'm here!"

"Ryoga-chan?" Akari opened the door. "Wow, you're usually gone for like three weeks when I send you to get groceries."

"Akari, is someone there?" A male voice asked.

"Hai! It's Ryoga, remember? I told you about him! Ryoga, I'd like you to meet my cousin, Kouki." He appeared from the door.

"Don't I know you?" Ryoga asked.

Kouki glared at him. "Yeah. You're the guy that made Scarlett leave."

"Ah, Kouki-chan, won't you get over her? She's been gone a year and a half now." Akari sighed.

Kouki glared at her. "No! I won't get over her! She was my first love and my-"

"First kiss?"

Kouki froze. "H-how'd you know that?"

Akari held up some pictures. "I bought them off of Nabiki." She chirped.

He stared at his older cousin in embarrassment as he looked at the picture.

His eyes were shut tight, as if preparing for a punch in the face rather than a kiss. Her eyes were opened wide, they were both blushing heavily.

"Gimme that!" He reached for it. Ryoga took it from Akari, holding Kouki at arms distance.

He suddenly looked at Kouki. "You forced this kiss on her..." He muttered.

"Yeah...I apologized immediately...My intentions weren't bad..."

Something about the picture made Ryoga uncomfortable. He gave it back to Akari, who happily tucked it into her pocket. "You said that I made Scarlett leave. What did you mean?"

Kouki's anger returned. "You're the reason she wouldn't love me back!" He snapped. Ryoga blinked. "I asked her out and she said it would be too awkward if we broke up so she rejected me! But she knows I would still be her friend! She was in love with you! If you had only let her down gently instead of leading her on that way, she would've stayed!"

"I didn't know she loved me. I just thought she was in a phase. She was only fifteen, I'm sure she was just in love with the first guy who was nice to her."

"How could you say something like that!" Kouki growled at him, only to be splashed with cold water. He sweatdropped as he shrunk. Under a pile of clothes came a fluffy rabbit.

"You need to chill out." Akari sighed.

Ryoga blinked. "I thought it was your dad who fell into the Spring of Drowned Rabbit." He asked as Kouki shook.

"Yeah, it turns out that curses are passed on to the next generation, weirdly enough. Which means we'll have piggy children!" She said happily.

Ryoga frowned. "About that, Akari..." She looked at him. "Would it be okay with you if I got rid of my curse?" Ryoga asked.

"Why would you want to get rid of your blessing?"

"Akari, crazy girls try to make me their pet, and people and animals try to eat me." He said.

"Oh right...But what are the odds of you finding the spring to cure you?"

Ryoga sweatdropped. "Good point..." Akari picked up Kouki.

"If you find the spring, could you bring some of the water back for Kouki-chan?" She asked.

"Maybe, but I think I'll stay here for a while." Akari smiled.

**_There's supposed to be a line here, but for some reason it wouldn't show. Carry on with your reading._**

Akane put down a plate of curry, the only thing she could cook that didn't wasn't considered a death trap on a plate. Of course, she needed a lot of practice to even make go above edible...

Ranma ate the food hungrily. He hadn't eaten all day.

Kasumi hummed as she looked through the mail. She made a questioning sound.

"What is Kasumi?" Akane asked.

"A letter for Ranma..."

Akane blinked. "What's so strange about a letter?"

"It's signed by you." She said.

Akane sweatdropped. "Okay, why would I send a letter to Ranma when we live in the same house?" She asked. Ranma stood up and took the letter.

_Dear Ranma,_

_How are you, I hope you are well. I am writing this letter informing you that in about five or so months, I will come to Nerima in order to challenge Ranma to determine who is the stronger martial artist. If I win, I want you to stop hiding from Nadoka, if I lose, well...we'll see what happens. _

"Signed, Akane..." He looked at her. "Well it's obvious that I'm a better fighter, Akane. But why would you write to me? Ya coulda just said somethin'." He asked. She punched him into another room, snatching the letter before doing so.

She examined it. "I hope you realize that this isn't my handwriting." She hissed. She looked at Kasumi. "Akane is a common name, whoever wrote this forgot to put her last name."

Kasumi looked at the envelope. "Hmm...here it is. I must've missed it. Himamori. Himamori Akane. Well that's a nice name."

Genma held up a sign. _"Himamori Akane?"_ It read. He blinked before flipping the sign. _"Don't know why she would challenge you."_

"What, did you get another fiance with the same name as me?" Akane hissed.

Ranma sweatdropped. "No way, Pop, did you set me up again?!"

_"No way! The name seems familiar, but then again, a lot of things do!" _

Ranma scowled at his father. "Pop, I swear, you better not have set me up with another girl." He hissed.

He flipped his sign._ "The only Akane you're engaged to is Tendo __Akane__!"_

Akane looked at the letter again. "But how does this Akane know about Auntie Saotome?"

* * *

><p>Scarlett was dragged back into a hair salon. "Perfume-chan, let me go! I change my mind, I don't wanna dye my hair or cut it!"<p>

"You here already, you go through with it!" Perfume hissed.

"No! I don't wanna! Do you know how long it took me to grow my hair to this length?"

"Scarlett, you no let lady cut hair, Perfume will do it herself! Then she dye hair green!"

"...Would it be a pretty green?"

"...Perfume no sure."

"How would I look with green hair?" Scarlett asked.

"Um...Perfume no know. Is computer for that." She said, pointing to the computer. They went up to it and logged in. "Let's see...Perfume type in name here...then you take picture..." Scarlett rubbed her eyes after a flash appeared. "Then put hair cut there...then Perfume click "suggest hair color"..." Perfume hit enter.

After a few minutes...

"That no look bad. Is very, very cute."

Scarlett tilted her head. "I didn't think of that color... Would I look good with my hair cut that short?" They looked at each other, then at the lady.

"We come back tomorrow. We print this?" She asked.

"Go ahead." Perfume looked at the computer.

"How you work this thing?" Scarlett sighed, the girl knew how to make an application, but didn't know how to print?

"Lemme do it."

Perfume stopped her. "Ooh, ooh, wait! Perfume wanna see other colors computer suggest!" She typed in two more applications and five different colors appeared. "How you print?"

Scarlett was frustrated and hit the little button that had the little printer on it.

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Perfume ran, Miyu on Scarlett's shoulder. "You just had to open your big mouth and insult the mayor Perfume!"<p>

"Perfume say wrong word on accident! Is no my fault Japanese hard to learn!"

"That's it, you're getting extra long lessons! I didn't even get to have my hair cut!"

"We no be in this situation if Scarlett get hair cut yesterday, like good girl!"

"We no be in this situation if Perfume study Japanese like good girl!" Scarlett mocked. "We'll have to take a short cut! BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" She created a whole big enough for just the two of them and Miyu to enter, but not the angry mob following them.

* * *

><p><strong>This was just full of randomness wasn't it? It was intended. I liked it though. *Peace sign before silly monkey pose*<strong>


	14. Honey-chan! A Girl with many Secrets!

Ranma sighed as he had dodged the attacks of Principle Kuno, and Tatewaki. With two quick punches, they were sent flying.

"Honestly, those guys are idiots." Akane sighed.

"Hey, Akane remember that letter? From Himamori? How long has it been?" He asked.

Akane blinked. "Um...Maybe about five months. Himamori-san probably will come soon." She looked at him. "You'll be your Girl-type when you fight her right?" She asked.

"I don't think that matters. She knows I'm hiding from my mom, so she must know of my curse. But I think I will go as a girl." He declared.

A girl walked by them, and accidentally bumped shoulders with Akane.

"Hey!" Akane hissed.

She stopped and looked back at them. "Gomen nasai. I was reading, and I didn't see you there." She said.

"That's okay."

Akane looked at the girl. Her hair was a soft pink, and was as short as Akane's. Her eyes were the same colors of honey. She wore a type of mini dress. It seemed to be made of the same material as the Furkinkan high school girl uniform. It was tightened around her waist ith a dark blue ribbon. She wore baggy white socks, and brown loafers. She had a black hadband with a red and black striped bow on it.

"Are you new around here? I don't think I've seen you here before." Akane asked.

The girl smiled. "No, I lived here once when I was fifteen, one year and seven months ago. But then I decided to leave so I could travel around the world."

"Oh wow, that's kind of like my sister, Saotome Scarlett. Only she left on a training trip." Ranma said.

"Scarlett? I met a girl named Scarlett on my travels, not too long ago."

Ranma was in her face the next second. "You have? Is she okay? Did she say anything?! She didn't dye her hair blonde did she?" He asked.

The girl sweatdropped but had a smile on her face. "Well, she seemed fine when I saw her. And her hair was red." She said, looking back at the time. "She seemed to have traveling partners. An Amazon named Perfume, and a black and white kitty named Miyu. I let them travel with me for a week or two."

"I wish you coulda' brought her here." Ranma sighed sadly.

The girl frowned before smiling again. "Hey, is your name Saotome Ranma?"

He nodded. "Hai."

The girl gave him a peace sign. "Scarlett told me to tell you that you'll see her soon."

Akane and Ranma brightened instantly, and looked at each other.

"I don't think her friend, Perfume, will be with her though. She said she had to go back to her village pretty soon." The girl knew this was trivia, but for some reason she said it anyway.

"Oh, okay. I woulda' liked ta' meet this girl, seeing as she kept Scarlett company." Ranma muttered,

"You said she was your sister, right? Scarlett told me you were cousins."

"We are, but my old man gained legal custody of her, so in a way, we're cousins and brother and sister."

The girl nodded. "That's sweet." She said. They began to walk into their school.

"Hey, I noticed that you aren't wearing the uniform." Akane said.

"Yes I am." Akane and Ranma blinked. "I cut the dress into a mini-dress, and I'm wearing baggy socks and loafers instead." She explained.

Akane looked at her dress. "Oh, I see. Now that you explain it, your dress does look a lot like the uniform." She smiled.

"So you two are in your third year, right?" She asked. Akane and Ranma nodded. "I'm in my second year."

"Oh so that means you're only seventeen right?" Ranma asked.

The girl nodded. "I will be in a few months. I'm only sixteen and a half right now. I presume you two are eighteen then?" They nodded.

(It doesn't make sense to me, but Nabiki was seventeen in her second year, and so was Tatewaki, so...)

"Yeah, but we aren't that different from when we were sixteen." Akane laughed. "I'm Tendo Akane by the way."

"Yes, I know." Akane and Ranma blink, before looking at one another. "I have to go to the office now. I'll see you, later." She ran towards the said area of room.

"She's nice." Ranma said blankly.

Akane nodded. "Yeah, but she never said what her name was."

* * *

><p>The girl smiled as she walked around Furinkan. "I could use something to eat." She muttered. She looked over her shoulder. "Right? Miyuki?" She asked. A brown cat with a red bandanna around her neck jumped onto her shoulder.<p>

"Nya."

"Let's eat something other than fish, okay?"

Miyuki frowned. She nodded. "Excuse me."

She blinked and looked behind her, her pink hair following. She saw a man, with a yellow bandanna around his head.

"Do you know which way to the Tendo Residance?" He sked.

She nodded. "Yes, I do. Are you visiting?" She asked.

He nodded. "More or less anyway." He said.

The girl raised an eyebrow, but nodded, walking towards the Tendo Dojo. She stopped when she noticed the man was not following. "Are you not coming?" She asked.

The man sweatdropped and nodded. "S-sorry." He apologized.

She nodded. "That's fine." She chirped. "So what's your name?"

"Hibiki Ryoga."

She smiled, tilting her head. "Mmm."

"Aren't you going to say your name?"

She smiled. "You'll find out soon enough. I'm assuming you're going to meet Tendo Akane?" She asked.

He nodded. "H-hai..." She saw a tint of pink on his cheeks, and she noted how sad he looked.

"Are you okay, Hibiki-san?" She asked.

Ryoga winced and laughed nervously. "I'm fine. A-and you can just call me Ryoga. No one really calls me by my surname."

She smiled. "Okay, Ryoga-senpai."

"No, I'm not a senpai. I don't go to school." He said.

She looked at him. "Well, you're a senpai in life." She declared. "You lived life at least a year longer than I have." She declared. "Wait, are you sixteen, seventeen, or eighteen?"

"I recently turned eighteen."

"Then you are my senpai! I'm turning seventeen in a month or two!" She chirped. She blinked. "Did you and Akane-senpai break up?" She asked.

Ryoga flailed his arms. "NO! WE WERE NEVER TOGETHER TO BEGIN WITH!" He shouted.

She sweatdropped before smiling a sympathetic smile. Ryoga seemed uncomfortable with it. "I see. So then, you broke up with someone else?" She asked.

Ryoga looked to the side. "Yeah...I really loved her too..." He muttered.

She stopped walking. She looked towards a park bench and sat down. She waited for Ryoga to sit next to her. He sat next to her, albeit hesitantly.

"How did you know?" He asked suddenly.

The girl looked at the sky. "I saw it in your eyes. A broken heart." She muttered. "I could tell."

Ryoga frowned. "How?" He asked.

She sighed. "I had the same look in my eyes when my heart was broken. I saw it everytime in the mirror. It was a year and a half ago I think. I know it was bad, because I can still remember the feeling. But at the same time it wasn't, because I don't remember the guy's name, or what he looked like."

Ryoga nodded. "Oh..." He looked at her. "Ahh...Honey-chan?" He asked.

Honey got the feeling he nicknamed her because of her eyes. She could tell he was hesitant about calling her that.

"Hmm?"

"How are you able to explain this to me?"

Honey smiled at him. "The same reason you were able to tell me that you broke up with someone you truly loved."

Ryoga smiled. "Okay..." He looked to the side. "Her name was Akari." Honey nodded. "She was really nice. She was the most accepting girl I've ever met...She was normal, for the standards of Furinkan anyway." Honey released a light chuckle. "The only weird thing abut her was that she raised sumo wrestling pigs." Honey raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. She covered Miyuki's mouth, feeling the cat was getting ready to laugh. "She had this one pig. It was big, and she would ride on it. Akari's grandfather wouldn't let her date anyone who couldn't defeat it. She sent it to attack me, and I beat it easily."

Honey closed her eyes. "I think I can guess the rest that happened. " Ryoga looked at her. "You defeated Akari's pig, and she fell in love with you. You two got together, and your love for each other was the thing that kept you going." She narrated. Ryoga looked at his lap. "Then recently, you began to think; "Would Akari have loved me even if I had lost to the pig? Would she have given me a second glance after that"?" Ryoga clenched his fists. "You confronted her about it, and she wasn't sure. She and you are taking time away from each other to sort out your thoughts, but it isn't looking too well on your side." She opened her eyes. "Am I right, Ryoga-senpai?"

"Y-Yeah..." His voice cracked.

Honey looked at him. Tears were streaming down his face. She frowned. "Ryoga-senpai, please don't cry." She pleaded. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you." Ryoga stood up, his eyes hidden by his hair.

"Honey-chan...Please stand up..." He muttered.

She stood up, hesitantly. "Hai?" She asked.

He brought her into him. She gasped lightly, not expecting the hug. After a few seconds he pushed himself off, his hands on her shoulders.

"Gomen nasai!" He muttered.

"Huh?"

"I didn't mean to...After you predicted that...I realized how obvious it was..." He looked away. "My body acted before my mind did."

Honey smiled. "Iie. It's alright, Ryoga-senpai. Sometimes, we just need a hug." She said. She blinked. "You wanted to go to the Tendo's house, right?" She asked. Ryoga blinked. "Mmm. C'mon. Let's go." She walked towards the direction of the dojo.

Ryoga followed. "Thanks."

"It's no problem." She smiled and ran. "Come now, Ryoga-senpai! The sooner we get there, the better!"

* * *

><p>Honey tugged on Ryoga's sleeve. "Ryoga-senpai, why are you trying to run away?!" She asked.<p>

"I don't think I can face Akane-san yet!" He grunted.

"Why not? You're already here!" She pulled him to the door. She knocked on it.

"Hai!" Kasumi opened the door. "Hello?"

"Konnichiwa!" Honey chirped, still pulling on Ryoga.

"Hello." Kasumi saw Ryoga. "Oh, Ryoga-kun, hello! Did you come to visit? Akane, Ranma-kun, Ryoga-kun is here! He brought friend!"

Ryoga sweatdropped and stopped movng. Kasumi allowed Honey to drag Ryoga into the house.

She forced him to sit down. "So would you like some tea?" She asked. Honey nodded. She nudged Ryoga, who was still trying to figure out what happened.

Akane and Girl-type Ranma went to the table. "You're the girl who altered her uniform!" Akane said, noting how Honey wasn't wearing her uniform anymore.

Actually, her outfit kinda resembled Ranma's. A blue shirt made of chinese silk, and dark pants. Actually, other then the size, and slight femininity of the outfit, Honey's outfit looked just like Ranma's!

Ryoga looked between the girls. "Akane-san, you know Honey-chan?"

"Honey-chan? Is that your name?"

Honey smiled. "No, Ryoga-sempai simply called me that because my eyes are honey colored." She chirped.

She thanked Kasumi for her tea. She manage to snag a cookie before Ranma started stuffing her face.

Akane scowled at her. "We have a guest!" She hissed.

Honey giggled. "Akane-senpai, it's fine. If I'm hungry enough, I eat like that too sometimes." She admitted. She began to blush as she saw Akane deep in thought, seeming to try and picture it. "Akane-senpai, stop trying to imagine it!" She whined.

Akane sweatdropped. "Oh, uh...Sorry Honey."

Ranma stopped eating for a second. "Oi, Honey-chan, do you study any-"

"You can't call her Honey-chan!" Akane fumed.

Ranma glared at her. "Why not? Ryoga does it!"

"Well it's obvious that Honey is Ryoga-kun's girlfriend!"

Honey and Ryoga spit out their tea. Honey spit it out away from the others, while Ryoga spit it across the table, on Ranma, turning her into him.

"Oh gross!" He hissed. He glared at Ryoga. "Whatcha do that for?!"

Honey got in between them. "Ranma-senpai, Ryoga-senpai was just surprised at Akane-senpai's statement! We actually just met!" She said hastily.

Ranma looked at her. "Well, it's still gross! Anyway, why aren't you surprised about my transformation?"

"I've seen weirder things." She began to munch on her cookie.

"So you don't mind if I call you Honey-chan?" He asked, looking distastefully at Akane. She stuck out her tongue.

"No. I don't mind at all." She grabbed a napkin and wiped part of Ranma's face before handing it to her. "You might want to do the rest though."

Ranma took the napkin. "So Honey-chan, do you study any martial arts?"

Honey tilted her head. "Hai. I study kempo." She said.

"Wow cool! Maybe you and I could spar sometime!" Akane said excitedly.

Honey was about to reply, when Kasumi poked her head into the room.

"I'm making lunch, would you two like to stay?" Kasumi asked.

"Okay. Actually, I'd like to prepare lunch." She declared.

Kasumi blinked. "Huh? No that's okay."

"No I insist. I've always wanted to cook for others, and you honestly look like you work too hard." She chirped.

Kasumi looked behind her. "Well...okay. But if you need help, be sure to call me."

Honey nodded. "Right."

She went into the kitchen and washed her hands, before tying a little handkerchief in her hair. She grabbed a few fruits and washed them.

Akane watched from the kitchen door. Honey seemed confident in her abilities, and Akane was looking forward to seeing her in action.

Ranma was looking over her shoulder, not really caring, but did seem curious as to what the girl would make, the same went for Ryoga.

Honey tossed the fruit in the air.

"Hah?" The trio said in unison.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Honey shouted.

The knife in her hand was a blur and in seconds, the fruit was cut in clean slices. She caught them in a bowl, and they were delicately arranged.

"Looks good." She said.

Akane, Ryoga, and Ranma all hopped back into the living room. "Did you see that?! She used the Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire technique!" Ranma whispered.

"Do you think she's an Amazon?" Akane asked.

Ryoga looked at her. "I don't think so. She doesn't seem to be. Maybe she was just taught that."

"I can't open this coconut!" They heard Honey whine. They looked at her. "Hm...Bakusai Tenkestu!" She broke a hole into the coconut. "There we go." She poured the juice into a bowl.

"The pressure point attack too?!"

"Maybe that was taught to her as well!" Akane assumed.

Ranma nodded. "Let's see here..." She grabbed lettuce. She washed it, but shrieked. "It's cold!" She shrieked quietly. She grabbed the tea kettle with still hot water before she tripped with another shriek.

Ranma rushed in. "What's wrong?!"

"Oh um..." Honey laughed nervously, the kettle stuck on her head. "I tripped." She removed the kettle. "Um...I got wet." She grabbed a pair of clothes out of her bag. "I'll be right back." She came out seconds later in an outift similar to Ranma's old outfit. Red silk shirt, and black pants.

"Your sense of fashion...is just like Ranma's..." Akane muttered.

"Heheh..." She began cooking again. After a while, she was all done and had made a nice stew. "Sorry it isn't much...But I hope you like it."

They all began to eat. "This is great! Way better than anything Akane can make."

"HEY! Who asked you, you baka!" She snapped.

Honey sweatdropped. Ryoga joined into the fight, yelling at Ranma for insulting Akane. Something told her that a brawl was going to happen. And that's not what she needed. More or less.

"Excuse me, I have an announcement." She sighed. They ignored her andkept yelling. She scowled and slammed her hand on the table. "OI!"

They looked at her. They all looked startled, while Kasumi simply set down her tea.

"What is it, Honey-chan?"

Her delicate smile and innocent look was replaced with a devious smirk and a determined stare. "My name is Himamori Akane." She stood up and splashed Ranma with water, barely missing Ryoga. Ranma-chan sweatdropped. "Saotome Ranma, I challenge you!"

* * *

><p><strong>AAANNNNNNNNDDDDDD SCENE! You're probably wondering where Scarlett is. Well, like Himamori Akane said, she'll be there soon. Let's just focus on the pink haired girl for a while. Eeppers! *Does peace sign before cute moneky pose*<strong>


	15. Showdown! Ranma's Chance at a Cure!

They all stared at Honey-er...-Himamori with shock, except Kasumi, who's instincts had told her that this girl was probably a challenger.

"Honey-chan, YOU'RE Himamori Akane?!" Akane asked.

Himamori nodded. "Hai." She smirked at Ranma. "I've decided on what I'm going give you if you beat me." She declared. She went through her bookbag and pulled out a container. "Within this container is water from Jusenkyo's nyannichuan." She declared.

Ryoga, Akane, and Ranma's eyes widened. "How'd you get that?!"

Himamori winked. "I did the Jusenkyo guide a favor." She smiled. "I babysat his daughter for two whole weeks, and in return, he gave me three containers of the water. Each having enough to cure two cursed forms, you, Mousse, and Mr. Saotome, and any other guy whose curse you may have caused. There should also be some left over for two other people."

"I know two other guys! But uh...is it okay if I don't tell you who they are? They'll be embarrassed." Ryoga shouted.

Himamori blinked. "Okay."

"How do I know that's the real thing?!" Ranma demanded.

Himamori smiled and trailed outside. They followed her. She looked around. "Hm..." She looked around and saw a rabbit. "Miyuki."

The brown and white cat jumped off of the roof and ran after the rabbit. "

"A-a c-c-cat?!" Ranma shouted.

Himamori blinked. _'She hasn't gotten over that fear of hers, it seems.'_ She let out a light giggle.

"Nya!" Miyuki brought the rabbit in her mouth, carrying it so it wasn't killed.

"Good job." Miyuki purred. Himamori poured just a little water over the rabbit. It grew in size, and it's hair went away.

"Huh?" It asked. The rabbit was now a human.

"WAAAAHHHH?!"

Himamori, Kasumi, and Akane were blushing. They looked away. "I-I-I didn't think that completely through." She muttered.

"I'll say!"

"O-Oh my..."

Ranma poured hot water over the naked boy, turning him back into a rabbit. "Wow..." She grinned at Himamori. "You got yourself a deal! Imma beat you and become 100% man again!" She cheered.

"H-hold on!" Himamori looked at Ranma, regaining her composure. "If you lose, not only will you have to talk to Mrs. Saotome," She picked up the now cursed rabbit. "I'm dumping the water outside, the grass will absorb it, and you nor the others will ever see it again unless you go to Jusenkyo."

Ranma sweatropped. "That's cold..."

She walked up to Akane. "Akane-senpai, can I trust you to keep these safe during the fight?" She asked, handing the containers to Akane.

"Hai. I'm sure I can, Honey-Err...Himamori-san!"

Himamori looked at Ranma. "Ready?"

* * *

><p>"Ryoga-kun, who do you think will win? Ranma, or Himamori-san?"<p>

Ryoga looked at Ranma, she was in her fighting stance, but her eyes strayed towards the containers in Akane's hands.

"I'm pretty sure Ranma will. He looks way too determine to lose." Ryoga bit his lip. _'He better not.'_ On his lap was the now cursed rabbit. Himamori had politely asked him to watch it.

Himamori got into a stance. Akane blinked. "That looks familiar..." The middle Tendo muttered.

Ryoga blinked, and looked at her. "What do you mean, Akane-san?"

"That stance. I feel like I've seen it before."

Himamori and her right arm tucked close to her body, and her left arm over her head. Her legs were stiff, yet loose, bent some what, and her feet were two feet apart. Her head was tilted down somewhat.

"It does look kind of familiar..."

"Alright, fight!" Nabiki shouted. Ranma charged for Himamori.

"Alright Akane-chan, I'm gonna beat you, and I won't regret it!"

Ryoga Akane mutter something under her breath. It was along the lines of "Why call _her _Akane-chan?" Ryoga sighed.

Himamori smirked as she dodged her attacks. "That's the spirit!" She stood back. "But what makes you think you'll win?" She asked, kicking Ranma in the side.

Ranma slid back. "Because so much is on the line! Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma shot several punches at her.

"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Instead of fists, she shot open palms, deflecting Ranma's punches. They jumped back. "In case you haven't noticed, Ranma-senpai, I know your fighting style." She declared.

Ranma flinched. "Whaddaya mean? You've never fought me before!"

Himamori smirked. "Heh." She chuckled.

Kasumi looked at Nabiki. "She's got something up her sleeve, doesn't she?"

"They usually do, Sis." Nabiki muttered.

Himamori pulled her arm back. "Bakusai Tenketsu!"

Ranma smirked. "Ryoga uses that on me all the time! You can't beat me with that, Akane-chan!"

Himamori smirked. "Is that a fact? Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"

Ranma gasped as the pressure point technique was combined with the chestnuts roasting on an open fire technique.

"Dammit!" Ranma growled as she had to put much too necessary effort in dodging the attack.

"Watch the language Ranma-senpai!" Himamori chuckled. She looked at him and saw an opening. "Finally..." She slammed her index finger into Ranma's right shoulder, causing her to cry out in pain.

"Ranma!" Akane shrieked.

Ryoga muttered something with a grin on his face. It sounded like "I wonder if she'll teach me that..."

"S'okay Akane!" Ranma growled.

Himamori smirked. "Is that so? You're right handed aren't you?" Ranma blinked, then nodded cautiously. "That's what I thought."

She aimed a kick at Ranma, who, in turn, jumped over it and quietly landed behind Himamori. Himamori made a sharp turn to face Ranma, but didn't see her.

"Huh?" She asked quietly. She felt Ranma tap her on the shoulder. "Got you!" She swung a kick, but only hit air as Ranma wasn't there. "What?"

_Tap._

Himamori swung a punch behind her, but again, Ranma wasn't there. "What is this, peek-a-boo?!" She asked impatiently.

_Tap._

"Cut it out!" She growled, punching the air yet again.

Akane stiffled a giggle.

_Tap._

_**Swing.**_

_Tap._

_**Swing.**_

_Tap._

_**SWING!**_

Himamori growled before flailing her arms, rather childishly. "Ranma, this isn't funny! If this is a game, I don't like it! Play fair!" She demanded.

Two arms caught hers.

She sweatdropped. "Huh?"

"Peek-a-boo!"

Himamori shrieked as Ranma fell backwards, flipping the pink-haired girl in the process so she landed on her face.

"O-Ow..." Himamori muttered.

Ranma released her and jumped away. Ryoga sweatdropped. "I can't believe he actually did that..."

"A Front Suplex Face Strike..." Akane muttered. (I got it off of Pretty Face! Don't try this at home kids!)

Himamori flipped over onto her knees, and held her nose. "Ow...Ow..." She muttered. She looked at her hands. "At least I'm not bleeding..." She stood up and glared at Ranma. "That was a cheap shot."

"I used that technique all the time on Scarlett when we were little, fighting you reminded me of her, I just had to." Ranma laughed.

Himamori blinked. "I remind you of Scarlett?" She asked.

"Yeah, kind of. You're a little more even tempered, but just as impatient." Ranma said.

Himamori blinked. "I'm not sure how to take that." She noticed that Ranma was holding his shoulder. She smirked. "So it's starting to affect you, huh?"

Ranma blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"You were able to dodge my Bakusai Tenketsu when its speed was enhanced, but I got you in your shoulder, 'member? And like you told me, your right side is your major side, so if you don't beat me soon, your arm will be disabled for twenty minutes." She declared.

Ryoga blinked. "Honey-chan seemed so sweet. Now she seems completely different, almost devious and mischievous." He muttered.

"Ryoga-kun, I've been wondering, why can't you just stop hating Ranma?" Akane asked.

Ryoga gently scratched the bunny's ears. "He's caused me so much pain...He's the reason my life is a living hell..." He growled. Akane blinked. "He's...the reason Akari and I..."

"What?!"

"Ya see...Ranma and I were eating rum cake...I had only a slice, and Ranma ate the entire cake after that...He didn't know that if he ate the entire thing he could get drunk. So I dragged him home..." He clenched his fists. "Ranma started babbling, and among that jibber-jabber, he asked me about Akari. "Have ya ever wondered what would have happened if ya hadn't beaten Katsunishiki?" That's what he said. It got me thinking..."

Akane immediately figured out the rest. "Ranma no baka..." She growled.

"It's okay Akane. Akari and I have agreed to take some time to think." He sighed. "Now that I think of it, it is kind of silly. The only reason Akari considered me is that I was strong. She could've easily sent Katsunishiki after Ranma, and she'd be crazy for him instead." Akane sweatdropped. "If I hadn't beaten Katsunishiki, Unryu Akari wouldn't have spared me a second glance."

"Ryoga-kun..." Akane muttered sympathetically.

Himamori jumped away from Ranma. "Unryu...Akari?" She asked. She closed her eyes. "Unryu...Akari..." She muttered. Her eyes narrowed somewhat. "How interesting...I think I've heard that before." She said lightly and quietly. "Oh right. Ryoga-senpai told me." She chirped lightly. She blinked as she looked at her opponent.

Ranma growled her right arm had fallen limp, as Himamori predicted. "Akane-chan, I can't believe that worked..."

Himamori smirked. "It took a long time for me to perfect that." She chuckled. "Now, I have to finish this." She said, smirking.

"What? No!" Ranma shouted.

"Ranma, you have to beat her!" Genma demanded.

"Right!" He growled. Himamori put up her guard. Ranma charged.

"Wait."

Ranma skidded to a stop. She nearly tripped and almost bit her tongue. "What's up, Akane-chan?"

"I have a feeling things are going to get rowdy. We need to fight somewhere else. Maybe at the school?" She suggested

.

* * *

><p>Everyone stood at the soccer field, where most fights were held. A crowd had appeared, waiting to see who exactly Ranma was fighting this time.<p>

"Hey, isn't that the new girl?" One person asked.

"Yeah, why on earth would he want to fight the new girl?"

"I think she may have challenged him."

Himamori and Ranma charged at each other. Ranma grunted as Himamori kicked her side, and Himamori screeched when Ranma punched her cheek.

"What's wrong with Ranma's arm?"

"Wait...Have they already been fighting?!"

"No fair! That means this fight might end soon!"

Ranma charged and Himamori jumped over her. "Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Ranma shouted.

"Kachu Tenshhin Amaguriken!" Himamori retorted.

Instead of their earlier showdown, they would dodge and strike at each other instead of blocking. All though, Ranma's was a bit sloppy considering she was using her left arm.

"This is intense!" Ukyo gasped. Akane sweatdropped.

"Where'd you come from?" She asked. Ukyo blinked.

Himamori and Ranma continued their Amaguriken match. "This is going nowhere. Bakusai Tenketsu!" She stuck her index finger out and began to repeatedly attempt to get him.

"You won't get me with that twice!" Ranma shouted. She did a low sweep and Himamori fell backwards. "Alright, you can say you give up, and just hand over the spring water."

Himamori stood up. "Yeah right." She was loose, her head drooped so that a shadow was casted over her eyes. "I don't quit." She began to radiate an aura.

Ranma gasped. "Ki attack..." He whispered. He quickly went into a stance, a smirk on his face.

Himamori held her arms out and began to form a ki ball.

Ranma did the same. He fired. " Mökö Takabisha!"

Himamori fired as well, and instead of looking upset and angry, she had a bright, happy smile on her face. "Kōfuku dangan o azamuku!" She shouted.

The attacks went past each other and both martial artists were hit. They flew backwards, a loud boom and a big cloud of smoke hiding them both.

"RANMA!"

"RANMA-HONEY!"

Ryoga blinked. He looked at the sky. "Kōfuku dangan o azamuku..." He repeated. "Hmm...Deceiving Happiness Bullet?" He asked. He sweatdropped. "Honey-chan!" He ran into the smoke. "Honey-chan, are you okay?" He asked as the smoke cleared. He sweatdropped as he saw that Himamori was flat on her back and had spirals in her eyes.

"Is Himamori-san okay?" Akane asked from her corner with Ukyo.

"She's out cold!" Ryoga replied. He smiled mentally. _'That means Ranma won. And we'll all be cured!'_ He turned around. "Ranma, you did it! You-" He sweatdropped. "R-Ranma? What happened?"

Ranma was also unconscious, his foot twitched every now and then.

Ukyo looked at Ryoga as he picked Himamori up. He walked towards them. "It was a tie." She said.

Akane and Ryoga looked at each other. "What do we do with the spring water?"

"Ranma technically beat Honey-chan..." Ryoga muttered, hiding his desperation surprisingly well.

Akane nodded, her face showing she was conflicted. "Yes, but Himamori-san technically beat Ranma..." She muttered.

They paused looking at each other, before sighing. "I don't think there's much we could do..." Ryoga muttered.

Akane nodded. "They'll have to have a rematch."

Ukyo blinked. What the _hell_ did she miss?

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that was interesting. I bet your wondering, "Why call Himamori Akane by her surname instead of Akane?" If not, ignore my rant and just review. <strong>

**Well, it's only when Tendo Akane is in the same scene. Don't worry, when Tendo Akane and Himamori Akane aren't in the same scene, Himamori will just be Akane. Not sure why Ryoga continues to call her Honey-chan, but eh. PEACE! *Does peace sign and pose cutely* /\_/\**


	16. A Familiar yet Hidden Face!

Himamori Akane hummed a little song as she in the flower garden. It was around the time the flowers would bloom. She sprinkled water on them. She was wearing her blue shirt and black pants. The same outfit Ranma was currently styling.

"Akane-chan is kinda like Kasumi in a way, ain't she Nabiki?" Ranma asked.

Nabiki nodded. She watched as Akane sprinkle the flowers and talk to them. "Uh-huh. She doesn't lash out with her strength when she's angry like _our _Akane does." She smiled. "So when are you two going to have a rematch?"

"I dunno. When the time is right, I guess." Ranma declared.

She tilted her head. "It's weird. I half expected you to start ranting about your plot to steal the water from her."

Ranma shook his head. "I keep thinking about it, but whenever I get the chance, I just can't do it. I don't know why, but I just can't. She's the first person in a while to actually tie with me after the whole Herb thing. Ryoga hasn't really been fightin' me, so I dunno if I can count him." Ranma looked at the sky. "I think I just respect her too much. I'm just gonna wait for when she challenges me again." Ranma sighed.

Nabiki smiled. "That's pretty honorable of you Saotome." She chirped.

Ranma looked at her. "What are you talkin' about? I'm always honorable!"

Nabiki laughed. She blinked. "Speaking of Akane, where'd Sis go?"

Ranma blinked. "I think Kasumi sent her shopping." Nabiki nodded. "I wonder if she'll make curry. That's the only food she makes that I'll willingly eat." He laughed.

Nabiki smiled as she looked at Akane. "She almost reminds me of Scarlett."

Akane blinked and looked back at them, as if she had just been called. Ranma and Nabiki didn't notice. She shrugged and went back to talking to the flowers. Kasumi came out with a laundry basket. Akane looked at her and smiled.

"Kasumi-oneesan, can I help you with the laundry?" She asked, getting up and running up to her.

Kasumi smiled at her. "Okay, Akachan. If you want to."

"Yatta!" She chirped.

Nabiki watched as Akane helped Kasumi with the laundry. "Akane acts just like you when you hit your head Ranma." Ranma sweatdropped. "Remember? When you thought you were a girl?"

Ranma flailed his arms. "I thought we were never going to talk about that again!" He shouted.

Nabiki laughed. "I wonder if she'll freak out at the sight of your underwear the way _you _did."

"Cut it out, would ya!" He demanded. Genma and Soun seemed completely unaware of their surroundings as they played shogi.

"The moment of truth..." Nabiki said, pointing as Akane unfolded Ranma's underwear. She turned blue for half a second before composing herself and hanging them up. "Hm...she seems shaken, but other than that, it doesn't seem to bother her."

Ranma scowled at the middle Tendo. "Yo! Akane-chan!" Akane looked at him. "You don't have to hang up the laundry since ya don't live here, ya know!"

Akane smiled. "That's okay Senpai! But if it embarrasses you, I won't hang your underwear!" She chirped.

Ranma blushed and flailed his arms. "No, no! That's not what I was saying!" He shouted.

Akane and Kasumi giggled with each other. "Ranma!" A voice called.

"Aw man..." Ranma muttered.

Akane and Kasumi blinked as a blur of purple flew past them.

Kasumi smiled. "It seems Shampoo is here. I wonder if she'd like to stay for tea." Akane blinked.

"Shampoo-senpai?" She asked.

"Yes. Shampoo is one of Ranma-kun's many fiancées." She laughed.

Akane smiled nervously. "Oh right. The Amazon." She hung up a shirt. She looked at Shampoo. "Shampoo-senpai!" She called.

Shampoo blinked. "Who you?" She asked. Akane blinked. Shampoo studied her. "Oh right. You come Cat Café yesterday." Shampoo smiled. "You very nice customer." Akane smiled. Shampoo blinked. "Ai-yah! Shampoo remember why I come!" She faced Ranma. "Shampoo come to ask Ranma where pink hair girl live! But now she no have to!" She looked at Akane. "Great-Grandmother want Shampoo ask if pink hair girl want work at Cat Café!" Akane blinked.

"You want me to work there?"

"Yes! Great-Grandmother say you have good aura! She want you work right away! Even have uniform ready for you!" Akane blinked before looking at the sky.

"I guess I could use a job..." She muttered. She smiled. "Okay. But first, I need to finish hanging up the laundry." Shampoo smiled.

"Shampoo help too! You need go Cat Café soon!" And now there were three hanging up laundry. "Shampoo almost feel like real wife! Hanging up Ranma laundry is good practice!"

Akane smiled, sweatdropping. "Right..."

* * *

><p>Akane walked with Shampoo to the Cat Café. "So your name Himamori Akane?" Shampoo asked.<p>

"Hai." She smiled. "Actually, it's kind of another name I'm going by. Himamori was my mother's maiden name. Legally I'm supposed to be going by a different name, but this isn't bothering anyone."

"What real name?"

Akane smiled and winked. "I can't tell you quite yet." She smiled at her. "You'll just have to figure it out yourself."

Shampoo pouted. "Shampoo hate mysteries."

Akane blinked. "Shampoo-senpai, your Japanese vocabulary is pretty limited, isn't it?"

Shampoo sweatdropped. "Yes. Shampoo leave China, no have enough time to learn good Japanese. Shampoo is getting better though!" She chirped.

"Hai. My Chinese isn't very good either. I used to speak Chinese perfectly, but after a while, I forgot a large chunk of it, and now my Chinese is like your Japanese."

"Really? We talk in Chinese instead?"

Akane blinked. "Okay."

"Good! I don't think I can go much longer speaking Japanese like that, 24/7. It's much too hard."

Akane nodded. "Shampoo, why when Akane says Chinese is bad you want speak Chinese anyway?"

"Sorry, it's just hard for me. I've been in Japan a long time now, but even now, I can't speak it completely. It's hard to learn. Great-Grandmother won't let me speak Chinese to her, because she wants me to learn."

Akane smiled. "Hmm. Akane understands. Is too bad though. If Akane met Shampoo five months earlier, we have proper conversation." She laughed.

"Is that what I sound like when I speak Japanese?"

"Mmhmm. No worry, Akane think is charming." She laughed. She blinks. "Oh, Akane has idea. Shampoo talk Chinese, Akane talk Japanese. We learn from each other?" She offered.

Shampoo blinked. "Hai! Let's try it!" She began to ponder what to say. "I hope you get the job at the Cat Café!" She chirped.

Akane nodded as she peiced together the Amazon's words. "Me too! I hope it's fun!"

Shampoo smiled. "It can be, but we have an annoying waiter. His name is Mousse. He won't leave me alone, no matter how many times I reject him."

Akane blinked. "He must love you."

"Yes, but I just wish he'd get the message. If I don't like him, then he should leave me alone."

Akane blinked. "But...Aren't you doing the same thing to Ranma-senpai?"

"It's totally different! I truly love Ranma, and the Amazon Law only boosts it."

Akane closed her eyes. "Do you truly love Ranma-senpai, or is your love really just the law?" She asked.

"No! I love Ranma! I even gave the kiss of death to Ling Ling and Lung Lung, my sisters, when they threatened Ranma!" She looked to the side. "I admit, at first, it was nothing but the law, but after the first month, I truly loved him." Akane blinked as she processed the information.

"I see..." She sighed. It began to rain. "Oh no!" She ducked under the nearest roof. She hadn't gotten wet, but the same couldn't be said for Shampoo.

"Nya..."

"Poor Shampoo-senpai..." She wrapped Shampoo in a towel. "I don't want us to get wet...We might catch a cold."

"Honey-chan!" She heard. Shampoo perked her ears and looked around.

"Mreow!" Shampoo meowed. She pointed a paw.

Akane looked at where she pointed. "Ryoga-senpai?"

Ryoga ran up to them, his bamboo umbrella over his head. "Hey, I thought it was you." He chirped. "I could spot that pink hair of yours a mile away. What are you doing in Hong Kong?" He asked. Akane blinked. She looked around, then at Shampoo. Then at Ryoga.

"Hong Kong? You're not even out of Nerima! In fact, you're still in Furinkan." She laughed.

Ryoga sweatdropped. "What? But I've been walking around for weeks!" He shouted.

Akane blinked. She looked at Shampoo. "Is he serious?" Shampoo rolled her eyes. She looked at Ryoga. "Do you have any room under that umbrella for a girl and a cat?" She asked. Ryoga blinked.

"Sure I guess." They walked in silence, Ryoga watching where Akane was going, so he wouldn't wander off. "So where are you going?" He asked finally.

"The Cat Café. Shampoo's great-grandmother says she wants me to work there. I need a job."

Ryoga nodded. "Do you have many cats?" He asked. She blinked. "You had a cat, name Miyuki. Do you have another one? Or is it just her?"

Akane looked forward. "I have two cats. Miyuki and..." She trailed off. "You don't have to worry about her name. Anyway, I trained them both to be martial arts cats." She smiled. "So where were you going that you thought this was China?" She asked with confusion. Shampoo climbed onto her shoulder.

"I was hoping to go to Jusenkyo." Ryoga muttered. "I know you won't give up on the water until your rematch with Ranma, so I figured I'd just go by myself." He sighed.

"Oh right. You know two people who want to be rid of their curses. So who are they?" Ryoga stiffened. "Well, can you tell me what they turn into?" Ryoga looked to the side and nodded.

"One turns into a pig, the other turns into a rabbit." He muttered.

Akane blinked. "How ironic. I used a rabbit as an example." She giggled. She walked with Ryoga, casually chatting with Shampoo, pretending to understand what her nyas meant. Ryoga couldn't help but chuckle. This caught Akane's attention. She looked at him with a pouty expression.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"You are. You act just like a child." He laughed. Akane huffed at him and looked away.

"That's not very nice." She huffed. He scratched his head worriedly and quickly apologized. Akane blinked as he almost turned left instead of right. She grabbed his arm. "Ryoga-senpai, where are you going?" She asked. "We're supposed to turn left, haven't you ever been to the Cat Café before?"

Ryoga sweatdropped. "Well...ah...I'm uh..." He sighed. "I get lost a lot. So much that I'm called "The Eternal Lost Boy"." He explained. He noticed how Akane's eyes had widened. He blushed. "It's so embarrassing."

Akane looked to the ground. "No, it's okay...You can't help it, can you?" She asked. Shampoo looked at her expresion. Her voice was sympathetic and understanding, but her eyes seemed shocked. Distant...Cold...

Pained, almost. Like she was remembering something she wasn't supposed to.

"Nya?"

Akane blinked, and snapped back into reality. She smiled at Ryoga, and linked her arm with his. "Well then, that's not a problem, now is it?" Ryoga and Shampoo blinked. Akane looked forward. "Just follow me, we'll be there in a jiffy!" She cheered.

Shampoo eyed Akane, concern and slight suspicion in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Akane, Shampoo, and Ryoga all entered the Cat Café. Mousse appeared, and immediately took Shampoo from Akane, not really acknowledging the pink haired girl.<p>

"Shampoo! I'll get you hot water and clothes right away!" He shouted. Akane blinked. "Oh my sweet Shampoo...You haven't caught a cold, have you?"

"That's either love, or a very unhealthy obsession..." Ryoga sighed, releasing a small chuckle.

After a while, Mousse was thrown down the stairs. His glasses landed by Akane's feet. She picked them up. "Huh?" She put them on. "Hey, I can see through these things!" Ryoga smiled at her.

"They look cute on you." He laughed.

Akane blushed and took them off. She walked up to Mousse. "Excuse me..." She said.

Mousse, with his blurry vision, sort of saw a girl with a blue and black outfit, and was instantly outraged. "Ranma!"

Akane sweatdropped. "Are you kidding me?" She dodged chains and other hidden weapons that shot out of his sleeves. "Excuse me! H-Hold on a second, please!" She had to admit that he was fast.

"Don't be a coward Ranma! Fight me like a man!" He growled. Akane scowled.

She quickly caught the chains and whatnot, them being wrapped around her arm. She released her arm and Mousse got defensive as she walked towards him. "I believe you dropped these." She put his glasses on his face.

Mousse blinked as he saw the pink haired girl's face. "Huh? You aren't Ranma."

"No. I'm Himamori Akane." She chirped.

Mousse sweatdropped. He bowed immediately. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to attack you! I saw that outfit, and since it was blurry, I assumed it was Ranma!"

"It's fine. You're Mousse, right?"

Mousse nodded. "Yes."

"I'm here to see Shampoo-senpai's great-grandmother."

"Oh, so you _did_ decide to come afterall." Said Cologne. "I am Cologne."

"Himamori Akane. Thank you for offering me this job."

"Nonsense Child. I could tell you would make a good waitress. You have spirit. Since you are to work here, I'd like you to know you will be treated like family, so, in a way, you are a temporary Amazon. So don't let any males defeat you, less you want to get married. Now you must understand, that we are very strict here, or at least I am. These two children..." She looked at Mousse and Shampoo. Shampoo was kicking Mousse's face repeatedly. "I just hope you are more mature than them." She sighed.

Akane blinked before smiling. "Hai. Like family." She turned around. "Shampoo-oneechan stop kicking Mu Mu-oniichan's face like that." This caught Cologne's attention.

"Mu Mu?" She asked. Akane blinked. "That's what Saotome Scarlett calls Mousse." She said skeptically.

Akane sweatdropped. "Well, I did travel with Saotome Scarlett for a week or two. Maybe she rubbed off on me." She said uncomfortably.

Cologne nodded. "I understand. She did seem to have that affect on people."

Akane nodded, smiling. "So when do I start?" She asked.

"Right now. You are the delivery girl." She said, tossing a uniform at Akane. Akane blinked and pulled the uniform on. As soon as she came from the restroom, a bike was tossed at her. She fell down. "Shampoo was that necessary?"

Shampoo looked at her great-grandmother. "Sorry. Shampoo was sure Akane would catch."

"You could've said "Heads up"." Ryoga muttered.

"You shut up, Stupid Pig Boy!" She snapped, tossing water at Ryoga. P-Chan scowled at her. Akane came back to her senses.

"Ow..." She took the bike outside and took the food from Cologne. "I'll be right back." She also took a note. "This goes to the Kuno Residence? The way Ranma described them, they didn't strike me as one to order. I wonder if he's just a gossip." She felt something nudging her leg. She looked down. "P-Chan?" She asked.

"Bwee?" Ryoga blinked, had Akane-san told her of P-Chan? She picked him up and placed him in the basket of the bike. She rode away.

Shampoo looked at Cologne. "You suspicious too, Great-Grandmother?"

"Only a little."

Mousse was silent.

* * *

><p>Akane hummed as she rode up to the entrance of Kuno residence. "Made it just in time, right P-Chan?"<p>

"Bwee..." Ryoga seemed a little dizzy. Akane rides faster than she should, and she jumped over a lot bumps. She rang the buzzard.

"Who is it?" Kuno's voice rang.

"Delivery from the Cat Café!" The gates opened. Akane went inside. "What a big house..." She knocked on the door. The door opened. "Hi there, you ordered green onion ramen, right?" She asked.

Kuno nodded. "Yes. Forgive me for asking, but who are you? You are not the simple-minded purple haired girl that I usually see on deliveries." He asked. Akane blinked.

"I'm Himamori Akane. I'm a new employee at the Cat Café."

"Himamori Akane? Well then, I am Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High." He declared.

"That makes you my senpai!" Akane chirped, clasping her hands together. "Well then Kuno-senpai, I have other deliveries to make!" She bowed. "Nice meeting you." She rode on her bike.

Kuno stared after the pink haired girl. "Her beauty is unmistakebly close to that of Saotome Scarlett." He muttered.

Akane was close enough to hear that. She sighed. "I wish people would stop saying "Scarlett" already." She sighed. _

Ranma hummed as he walked along the fence. He stopped when he saw something unusual. A red fox roaming the streets, walking on the wall parallel to him. It was wet, and seemed to be grumbling to itself.

"Scarlett?" He whispered. He jumped onto the wall. The fox stopped, nearly bumping into him. He crouched over. "Scarlett...is that you?" He asked. The fox stared at him, a confused face that, according to Ranma, only Scarlett could make. "It is you, isn't it?" The fox jumped over him. "Hey, where are you going?"

The fox looked at him. She hopped off of the wall. Ranma followed. Already, the fox was almost out of his sight.

"It's gotta be her, no fox could move that fast!" He ran after her. "Scarlett, wait! Slow down, c'mon! Don't cha recognize me? It's me, Ranma!" The fox stopped. She walked up to him.

"Yip yap." She said, a look of recognition on her face. Ranma dropped down to his knees. The fox jumped into his arms. Ranma hugged the fox.

"Where have you been..." He muttered. He stood up. "Let's get you hot water." She sweatdropped. Ranma blinked. "Don't cha wanna change back?" Scarlett shook her head and jumped out of Ranma's arms.

Scarlett pulled out a sign, from nowhere might I add.

_"Can't let you see me, not yet."_ Read the sign.

"I was right, it is you!" Scarlett rolled her eyes. She flipped her sign.

_"How many foxes do you know, you dunce?"_

Ranma scowled. "It's you alright. How come you don't want to be human yet?"

Scarlett smirked and pulled out another sign. _"Because."_

"Because what?"

_"Part of my plan."_

"What plan?"

Scarlett flipped her sign. Genma would be proud. _"Don't worry about it."_

Ranma and Scarlett stared at each other for a while. "What do you mean, "Don't worry about it"?"

Another long pause.

Scarlett pulled out a sign. _"Exactly what I said. Honestly, do you not listen? If I tell you not to worry about it, then don't worry about it. Also-"_ The sign was cut off. She pulled out another. _"I'm hungry, got anything to eat?"_

Ranma fell over.

* * *

><p><strong>Yay, Scarlett's back! But how come she won't change back? What's her plan? Find out!<strong>


	17. Scarlett's Lost Memories!

Scarlett ate her ramen quickly. Everyone was startled at how fast the young Saotome ate her food. Ranma looked down at the fox, before at Akane. "Is that what it looks like when _I_ eat?" He asked curiously.

Akane huffed as she ate at a slower pace. She scowled at Ranma. "Yeah, only when _she_ does it, it's cute. When _you_ do it, it's gross." Ranma rolled his eyes. He looked at his cousin.

"Why are you eating like that? When was the last time you had a proper meal Lechan?" He asked. Scarlett stopped eating. She stared at her bowl for a period of time. She was quiet for a long time and it made Ranma wonder if he had offended his sister. Finally she pulled out a sign

"_I haven't._" it read. A vein popped on Ranma's head.

"CUT WITH THE SHORT ANSWERS! IT'S GETTING ANNOY-wait does that say that you haven't?" He asked. Scarlett rolled her eyes. She held her bowl up to Kasumi.

Kasumi blinked. "More?" Scarlett nodded. "But this is your tenth serving..." Scarlett blushed. She bowed her head and got ready to leave. "You aren't staying?" Scarlett wasn't able to answer as a person entered the Tendo Residence.

"Tadaima!" Ryoga chimed. He blinked when he saw everyone. "What are you all doing in my house?" He looked around. "Wait...this is the Tendo Home? Man, I was sure I had it." He sighed. Scarlett blinked.

"Oh, hello Ryoga-kun. Would you like something to eat. There isn't much left after three ravenous Saotomes got to he food, but there should be enough for you to eat." Ryoga blinked.

"Three?" He looked at where the Saotomes usually sat. Ranma, Panda...and a fox? "A-a fox? Wait..." Scarlett blinked. "Saotome...Scarlett?"

Scarlett held up a sign. "_Yes that's me._"

Ryoga did the Crouch of the Wild Tiger, something he had learned from Ranma. "I am so sorry!" He squeaked. Scarlett tilted her head. "I'm sorry about what happened! I mean, I'm still foggy on why you left, but Ranma told me because it was something I had done, so I'm sorry!" He hesitated before hugging her. Akane smiled.

Scarlett made a brief yipping noise as she squirmed. She bit his shoulder. Ryoga shrieked as she jumped onto Akane's head. "Scarlett, what was that all about? Don't you forgive Ryoga?" She asked. Scarlett blinked. She held a sign.

"_What did he do?_"

There was a long pause.

"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted. Scarlett looked down at Akane. She held a sign.

"_Is anyone gonna tell me what this whacko's done_?"

Akane took Scarlett from her head. "Don't you remember why you went on that training trip?" Scarlett scowled and flipped her sign.

"_That's personal. All you need to know is that I despise men." _Ryoga winced as Genma and Ranma glared something fierce. Scarlett looked Ryoga over once before flipping her sign, pointing it at Ranma. "_Who is this guy anyway? One of your friends from school_?"

Ryoga gaped. "Wha? I'm Hibiki Ryoga! Remember, we were great friends before you left!" Scarlett jumped out of Akane's arms. She jumped into Ryoga's arms. "You remember?" Scarlett lifted her face towards him. She took in his scent.

She jumped away and shook her head. "_I don't know you._"

Ryoga winces. She doesn't even recognize his scent! "I'm the one who dropped you into the Spring of Drowned Kitsune!" He tried desperately.

This caught her attention. "We have it on video." Akane offered.

* * *

><p>Ryoga fought off the furious fox that was attacking his face. "<em>WHO THE HELL DROPS SOMEONE THEY DON'T KNOW IN A CURSED SPRING<em>!?" read the sign Scarlett was currently beating him with.

Ranma watched with amusement as Ryoga tripped and was assaulted by the enraged fox kit. "Okay, Lechan, that's enough. Ryoga didn't mean to drop ya." He said, picking Scarlett up by the scruff of her neck. "Actually, you two were pretty tight before ya left."

Akane took her from him. Kasumi dusted Ryoga off. "Actually, you and Ryoga even dated for a little while." Kasumi chirped. Ryoga looked down, a deep blush on his face when Scarlett looked towards him. She felt her cheeks burn. Did she and this man really date once?

Ryoga could tell that Scarlett was questioning Kasumi's statement. Ryoga picked at a loose thread on his pants. "We weren't really dating... I mean, we went on a date or two...and we kissed a few times..." He whispered the last part so that only Scarlett's sensitive fox ears would pick it up.

Can foxes blush?

Scarlett dug into her memory. She waved her sign furiously. "_I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS NONSENSE!_" She glared at Ryoga. "_I DO __**NOT**__ KNOW YOU, HIBIKI-SAN!_" She out of the house.

* * *

><p>Ryoga walked around Furinkan aimlessly. Which usually wasn't the best idea. "She doesn't remember me...how does she not remember me?" He stopped, realization hitting him. "Did she forget me on purpose?" He hung his head. "What was so terrible that she made herself forget everything about me?" He whispered. Ryoga was pushed forward in a playful manner. He turned around. "Honey-chan?"<p>

Himamori Akane smiled a concerned smile. "You looked deep in thought. Like your best friend forgot who you were."

Ryoga looked at her. "What are you, psychic?" He asked. Akane tilted her head. Ryoga sighed. "She wasn't my best friend, but she's the closest to a best friend that I have." Akane raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't remember me. She remembers everyone but me. I think she forgot me on purpose."

Akane frowned. She looked down, thinking of a way to cheer up the fanged man. "Ryoga-senpai..." He looked at her. His eyes were so depressed. "I'm sorry...I wanna make you feel better...but I don't know how." She blinked. "I have to make some deliveries, would you like to come with me?" Ryoga blinked.

"Deliveries?"

Akane smiled, nodding. "I'm the new delivery girl at the Cat Café. My bike got seriously wrecked after Mu Mu-oniichan landed on it." She sighed. "So I'm running." She looked at her watch. "I have to get this to the Kuno Residence soon, or else it'll be free. Are you coming?" Ryoga nodded.

"Sure, I like talking with you."

"We have to move fast. You won't get lost will you?" Ryoga shook his head. "Good. Come on." She ran with Ryoga following.

After a while, Ryoga ran next to her. "You want a lift?"

Akane blinked. "What?" Ryoga scooped her up, bridal style. "What are you doing?" Ryoga jumped from building to building.

"I don't want you to be late on your deliveries because you have to make sure I don't get lost. This should be faster. I can see the Kuno residence. I just have to go straight! Uh...right?"

"Yes." Akane muttered. "Ryoga-senpai, do you get depressed like that often?" Ryoga looked at her. He continued to jump. "ShiShi Hokodon. Can you do that?"

Ryoga looked down at her. "Yes, its my strongest attack."

She whispered something. Ryoga didn't hear her. She said something else. "Your strongest? Why are you so sad?"

"I don't know...I used to have a reason...but ever since Akari, I don't really love Akane-san. Not as much, and she doesn't really fuel my ShiShi Hokodon as well. I guess after Akari and I split up, and now that Scarlett doesn't remember me... I guess..."

Akane leaned into his chest. "Ryoga-senpai...Is there a possibility that...Scarlett-chan..." He took the "chan" added to Scarlett's name as a hint that the pink haired girl knew her. "Was Scarlett-chan affectionate towards you?" Ryoga looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean by 'affectionate'?"

Akane sighed. For this task, she needed to be a little more blunt. "Did Scarlett-chan have a crush on you?"

"WHAT?!" The poor lost boy nearly dropped her. She shrieked.

"Ryoga-senpai you nearly dropped me!"

Ryoga sweatdropped. "Sorry! A-anyway, what made you think that?"

Akane hummed lightly. "She told me. She didn't say the boy's name, all she said is that she went on a few dates with him, and they kissed a few times...she knew he had a crush on Akane-senpai, so she had tried to get her feelings through to his thick skull, but then she saw him with a girl she had dubbed as 'Akari-chan' she realized that he had recently gotten girlfriend. She felt that he had been leading her on, so she threw her most prized possession, a blue ribbon and a bell that he had given to her, at him. She then packed her stuff and left, bidding her friends and family farewell. She can remember what happened, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't remember his name. Or what he looked like. It was then that she decided to go home, because she promised herself that as soon as she forgot him, she would come home." She didn't realize how her habit of telling trivia was not trivial to the fanged boy.

Ryoga stopped in front of the Kuno residence. Akane jumped out of his arms. She rang the bell. "Himamori Akane!" She looked at Ryoga. "And friend." The door opened and they entered.

"Kuno didn't strike me as one to order food like this." Ryoga muttered. His hair covered his eyes.

Akane frowned before smiling. "That's what I said. Shampoo-oneechan said that he never ordered before, and when he did for the first time, he said that he had decided to try the "food of the peasants" just this once, but after I delivered to him, he calls a lot more often. He must really like this food. All though he seems to enjoy calling me "Ichigo-chama", because of my hair color. Maybe he just likes my company."

Ryoga knocked on the door. Kuno opened it. "Hibiki Ryoga? Where is Ichigo-chama?"

Akane appeared from behind him. "See, I told you." She held out the box containing the food. "Here you go, Kuno-senpai."

Kuno looked at Ryoga. "Why does he accompany you?"

Akane looked at him. "Ryoga-senpai was sad, so I thought if I let him join me, he'd feel better." She noticed his sad expression. "Maybe I made it worse."

Kuno grabbed her hand. "Would you care to join us?"

Akane struggled as she was pulled in. "W-wait, can Ryoga-senpai come too!"

"As you wish." he said unwillingly. Just as she was pulled in, Akane grabbed Ryoga's hand and pulled him in with her.

Akane and Ryoga looked around the home. "It's much nicer in here than I thought." Akane muttered.

Ryoga nodded while Kuno smirked triumphantly. "There aren't many families wealthier than the Kuno family, therefore we require the finest estate and other necessities." Akane nodded with astonishment. A soft music let itself be known. It was soft, bouncy, and flowy.

"What's with the music?" Ryoga asked.

Kuno listened. "It's Kodachi. She's practicing with her ballet teacher." Ryoga and Kuno looked around. Akane had ventured off to watch the psycho Kuno dance.

* * *

><p>Akane watched with sparkly eyes as Kodachi and her teacher danced.<p>

"Ichigo-chama, usually one does not leave suddenly without excusing themselves." Kuno sighed.

"Eh, oh sorry. I'm just a huge ballet fan." She looked around. "Where did Ryoga-senpai go?"

Kuno pointed to a closet. "WHY IS THERE A CAVE IN THE HOUSE!?"

Akane blinked as she went towards the closet. She opened the door. Ryoga turned around. "Ryoga-senpai, are you trying to be funny? Or do you really get lost like this?"

Ryoga blushed. Akane swept her arm outward, ushering Ryoga out of the closet. Kuno looked at him. "Your condition gets sadder everytime I witness it." Watch as bokkon and umbrella fly. Akane ducked into the ballet room. She sweatdropped as Ryoga and Kuno dished it out.

"Who are you? How dare you interrupt Kuno Kodachi's lesson!?"

Akane blinked. She bowed. "Himamori Akane! I'm just a visitor and I heard the music and I thought I'd watch because I'm a big fan of ballet! I apologize for interrupting you!"

Kodachi raised a brow. "Kodachi-san, why don't you let her join us?" Asked her teacher.

"Can I, Kodachi-senpai?" She asked.

Kodachi's ears perked at the request. "Senpai?" She smirked. "I suppose you could, since you obviously acknowledge the fact that I am your superior. AHAHAHAHAHA!" Akane winced. That laugh is ear-splitting!

Akane ran up to them. She stood by them. "Do you have any experience in this type of dance?"

"I do. I used to dance when I was just a little girl." She told her. Kodachi and the teacher nodded.

"Let's see what you can do. I am Haruna Ami, by the way."

Akane nodded. "I'll do my best, Haruna-sensei." Haruna played the music.

Haruna and Kodachi began to dance. "Just jump in whenever you're ready." Akane watched before nodding. She joined in with them. They danced together in sync. Ryoga and Kuno stopped their brawl and watched.

"Honey-chan dances?" Ryoga asked. Kuno looked at her with astonishment. Akane and Kodachi jumped and landed gracefully. Or at least Kodachi did. Akane stumbled and nearly fell on her face. She quickly composed herself. Kodachi pranced forward before twirling in the air and landing in a pose. Akane attempted the same thing but stumbled, only this time, she did fall on her face.

"Owie..." She muttered. Ryoga helped her up. "Don't worry, I fell when I was little too." She sat up. "I have to go now. Thanks for letting me dance with you." She got up and ran. "Granny's gonna kill me if I'm late for dinner again!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett soaked in a hot tub. She finally changed into her human form. Her hair was covered by a cap. Her eyes were closed. "If what Hibiki-san told Himamori Akane was true, then I'm in big trouble." She opened her eyes. Her blue eyes were more mature, but still very childish. As if over the year and a half she was gone, she had gained more experience in life then she should have in so little time. She sank into the tub. <em>'It<em> _couldn't be a coincidence. I know I was dropped into the spring, I just had forgotten who did it.' _She thought. She surfaced. "I'll have to talk to him." She blinked. "What was Hibiki-san's first name? Ryan? No, that's an American name. Ryou? Hibiki Ryou? Yeah, that's it." She wrapped herself in a towel and exited the tub. "I'll have to talk to Hibiki Ryou tomorrow!" She slipped on a bar of soap. She fell backwards, grabbed the shower curtain and-

_**SPLASH!**_

Perfume ran into the bathroom. "Scarlett, you okay?!"

"What are you doing here?"

Perfume smiled sheepishly. "Perfume came to live with Scarlett! No can lose such great sparring partner!" She explained. Scarlett held her shoulder. "Is you ok?"

"Yes, I've been worse. But, I may have dislocated my shoulder..."

"How girl who learn Bakusai Tenketsu dislocate arm so easy?"

"You haven't been studying your Japanese, have you-wait, what are you doing?"

"You say you dislocate shoulder, Perfume fix it."

"No, no, no! Just take me to see Dr. Tofu!"

"Is okay, Perfume do this before."

"No! PERFUME I SWEAR TO-"

_**POP, CRACK!**_

_**"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"**_

"Is no that bad!"

"NO THAT BAD? **I THINK YOU JUST BROKE MY ARM!**"


	18. Ryoga's Desparation! Remember Me Saotome

Scarlett looked at her hair in the mirror. It was long, and was dyed pink. "Scarlett really admire Akane-san to dye hair pink." Perfume chirped.

Scarlett looked at her and smiled. "Mmhmm, my hair is like, half a shade darker than hers. All though, I would never cut it as short as hers." She petted Miyu, who had gotten into an incident with brown hair dye. Let's just say, Scarlett's more cautious with open bottles around the cat.

Perfume frowned. "What matter? You no look too happy." She questioned.

"Ah, it's nothing." She chirped. "It's just that, I met this guy...Hibiki Ryou, I think it was..." Perfume frowned. "You see, apparently, Hibiki-san was the boy I've been trying to get away from. But I have no recollection of him at all. "I remember everything but him." She sighed. "I came home as soon as I forgot, but I feel like it was too early. I shouldn't have forgotten so soon..." Perfume frowned.

"Is big deal?" She asked with confusion.

Scarlett shook her head. "It depends on how you look at it. On one hand, I forgot the person I've been trying to forget, but on the other hand, I completely forgot that person in a mere year and a half. That's way too quick for someone who had such a big impact on my life." She looked at her green-haired friend. "I need to talk to him. But I don't know where he lives."

"Maybe you ask Ranma?"

"Ranma? You think he might know?"

"Maybe. You say Ranma know everyone." Scarlett raised an eyebrow as she thought this over.

"I guess I did." She headed for the door. "Are you coming, Perfume?"

"Yes! Perfume want meet Scarlett's cousin!"

"Scarlett want enroll Perfume in school as soon as possible!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Perfume knocked on the Tendo-Saotome home door. Kasumi opened the door and blinked. "Can I help you?" Scarlett smiled.<p>

"Can you ask Ranma to come out?"

Kasumi blinked. "Yes, I suppose so." She went into the house. "Ranma, there are these girts who want you to come out." Ranma blinked and came out of the houe. Akane and Nabiki watched the three girls out the window.

"Who are ya?" He asked.

Scarlett opened her mouth, but was interrupted by Perfume grabbing Ranma's hands. "Aiyah! Perfume very, _very_ honored to meet Ranma!"

Akane glared through the window. Ranma blinked. "What the-? Can't you speak Japanese?"

"Only little! Perfume leave to travel, no have time to learn good!" Ranma blinked. Perfume looked at Scarlett. "Ranma is very, very cute! But you say he boy." She said.

"I also said he had a curse..." Scarlett muttered.

Ranma sweatdropped as Perfume let go of her hands to put her hands on her hips and laugh. "Oh right! Perfume is sorry, Perfume forget!" She laughed.

Scarlett put her hand on Perfume's head and pushed her to the floor. "Okay, that's enough of that, Perfume-chan."

Ranma scrunched her nose. "Perfume? Is that your name?" Perfume nodded. She looked down. "Didn't Akane-chan say that she had traveled with Scarlett and an Amazon named Perfume?" She asked herself. Perfume and Scarlett smiled at each other. "Then..." She looked at Scarlett. "Are you...?"

Scarlett smiled. "Is Uncle Panda there too?"

"SCARLETT!" She hugged her sisterly cousin and spun her around. A vein popped on Akane's head.

"Easy Ranchan, your crushing my spine!" Scarlett laughed. "Come on!"

Ranma pulled her into the house. Perfume followed. "Guys! Scarlett's back! Human this time!" Scarlett giggled.

"_That's _Scarlett?" Akane asked, settling down. Nabiki looked at Scarlett.

"If you look at them side to side, she _does_ look like a pink haired Ranma." She muttered. "Great to see you again."

Scarlett smiled, before becoming serious. "I need to talk to Ryou, but I don't know where he lives."

"Ryou?" Ranma asked.

Scarlett nodded. "Yes. The boy with the speckled bandanna, and the fangs."

Ranma and Akane looked at each other. "I don't know anyone by that name."

Scarlett blinked. "But he was here a few days ago. Remember? The boy I attacked for dropping me in the spring?"

"The boy who..." Ranma blinked before realization hit her. "You mean _Ryoga_!" She laughed.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "What?! His name is _Ryoga_?! I've been calling him Ryou this entire time!" She heard a giggle come from Perfume. Her eyes widened. "Perfume you knew the entire time? Why didn't you say anything?!"

Perfume smiled. "Perfume figured it be funnier if Ranma or Ryoga tell Scarlett."

"You're so mean!" She sighed. She placed her hands on her hips. "Oh well. Ranchan, can you take me to Hibiki-san's house? I want to talk to him."

Ranma scratched the back of her head. "Sorry Lechan. I don't think I can. That moron is almost never at his house. He gets lost too much."

"Really? You aren't lying?" Akane and Ranma looked at each other. "Oh...Well, where does he usually end up?" She asked.

Akane closed her eyes and thought. "Well, there's no predicting where he'd end up. Ryoga appears wherever and whenever. ometimes he ends up in a whole different country." She sighed. Scarlett blew at her bangs.

Ranma got in between the two girls. "Let's get onto something important. I thought I told you couldn't dye your hair."

Perfume and Scarlett sweatdropped. "You said I couldn't dye it blonde. You said I was called Scarlett because my hair was red. Well, _red_ isn't my natural hair color. My hair is naturally _pink_." She declared. "You didn't meet me until after I dyed my hair." Ranma sweatdropped.

"Huh?!"

"Yeah. After being with Himamori Akane, I felt that I should go back to being me."

"W-wait...so..." Spirals spun in Ranma's eyes. "I'm confused..." She shook her head. "Alright. Whatever. You can't find Ryoga, but he'll find you. Okay?"

Scarlett nodded and walked towards the door. Just as she touched the knob, the door was pushed open, "Tadaima!" and smacked her in the face.

"Ow!" She squeaked. Ryoga blinked and looked behind the door and saw the pink haired girl holding her nose.

"Honey-chan? Your hair grew. How long have I been gone, and how'd you get into my house?"

Scarlett held her nose and winced. "You aren't in _your_ house, you're in Akane's house!" She glared. "And I'm not this Honey-chan girl, I'm-" She blinked as she actually looked at him. "You're Hibiki Ryou-I mean Hibiki Ryoga! I-I mean-!" She shook her head. "Hibiki-san!"

Ryoga blinked. "Do I know you?"

"I'd like to assume you do!" She got close to him. "I need to talk to you about something important!" She declared. She looked at the staring family and one Amazon. She made an uncomfortable face before looking at Ryoga. "At the park!" Perfume perked. "No, you can't come." Perfume pouted.

Ryoga blinked.

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Ryoga sat at an old picnic table. The park wasn't too active today. Scarlett handed him a can of soda, while she had a lemonade.<p>

"Th-Thank you...Um..." He muttered, looking at her. "Your name?"

"I'm Saotome." She declared.

Ryoga's eyes widened. "Saotome?" Scarlett nodded. She blinked when Ryoga's expression hardened. "Ranma, you creep!" She flinched and covered her eyes, ducking as Ryoga slammed his fist above her, breaking a tree.

No one looked. No one was curious. This was a normal occurance.

Scarlett shuddered, not moving. "H-Hibiki-san, w-what are you doing?" She asked.

"What's your aim this time! Why are you disguised that way!?"

"I-I'm not disguised as anything! I'm not Ranma!" Scarlett shrieked, terrified. She gasped as he grabbed her shirt and pulled her close.

"Don't lie! You said you're Saotome!" He growled. He pulled his finger back. "BAKUSAI-"

"SAOTOME SCARLETT!" She screamed.

Scarlett opened one eye and looked at him. His finger was rested on her forehead. He had cancelled the attack at the last second. He stared at the petrified girl.

"S-Scarlett...?" He pulled his arm back. "S-So you're not Ranma?"

"N-No." She whispered.

They stared at each other. Ryoga blinked. "WHAAAAAA!" He jumped about three feet backwards and bowed. "I'M SO SORRY!" He apologized. He bowed his head. "I honestly thought you were Ranma disguised to trick me!"

Scarlett stayed huddled in her ball. She was cautious. Was this really the guy she had fallen in love with? He seemed too short tempered and aggressive. "W-Well, now you know I'm not. So let's just drink soda and talk. O-Okay?" She asked.

"Um...right." Ryoga muttered. He looked at Scarlett before looking down. He reached across the table, causing her to flinch. He grabbed a cookie, and she relaxed. Ryoga looked down. "I'm sorry. Please don't be scared of me." He pleaded.

"I've been training for a long time. It takes so much to scare me, but you seemed to have done it..." She muttered. She sipped her lemonade and took a few calming breaths. She gave a determined expression and smiled. "But now I'm over it! So let's talk!" She totally wasn't over it. "Alright. How do you know me?"

"Um..." He sweatdropped. _'What kind of question is that?'_ He folded his arms and lowered his head, one eyebrow arched as he thought. "Well, when I first met you, you had interrupted a fight between me and Ranma. You challenged me, but I refused to fight you because you were a girl...and then you ran off with Ranma to meet Akane..." Sure. Leave out the accidental _groping_ part.

Scarlett frowned. "I don't remember."

Ryoga blew at his hair. "Alright..." He thought a little longer. _'What have we done together that she wouldn't forget...'_ He thought. He blinked. "You're first kiss!" She blinked. "I was your first kiss!" He insisted. Scarlett blushed.

"H-Huh?" She asked.

"Yeah! On the roof, when Nadoka came!" Scarlett looked back. She closed her eyes. She looked back at him and shook her head.

"No. I'm sorry." She muttered. "Hibiki-san..."

"Call me Ryoga..."

Scarlett nodded. "Ryoga-kun, I feel like I should remember you, but I just can't. Something in me makes me feel like you were someone I shouldn't have forgotten, but I have." She sighed.

Ryoga clenched his fists. "I'm begging you! Remember me! You have to!" He insisted, almost desprately.

"I don't know why, but you not remembering me makes me feel depressed! Like I won't be at peace until you remember!"

"Ryoga-kun, I'm really sorry, but I just can't remember you! I've been trying to remember you since a few days ago when I met you in my fox form, but I can't! Forgive me!"

Ryoga stared at her with disbelief and slight anger. He leaped over the table and grabbed her hands. "No!" He shouted. "I will not forgive you! Not until you remember me!"

Scarlett gulped. "P-Please calm down!" She pleaded.

Ryoga closed his eyes and hugged her. "Scarlett, you were one of my most invaluable friends!" He has others? Maybe he's counting Akane. Maybe Ukyo. Maybe not Ranma...but you never know...

Scarlett tensed. This experience...was almost new to her. She rarely hugged anyone, let alone a guy. In fact, she was pretty sure Ranma was the only guy she ever allowed to hug her. She looked at Ryoga. _'Golly. This guy's emotions are all over the place. Other than his little punching thing earlier, he seems pretty gentle. Freaked out, but gentle. Kind of like a lost child...'_ She gently placed her hands on his back. "I'm sorry..." She dismissed the hand behind her neck. As long as he wasn't trying to strangle her, she didn't mind.

He loosened his grip. Ryoga looked at her. "I won't forgive you. Not until you remember me." He muttered. He gave her a look of determination. "I'll make you remember me. I'll never feel at peace until you do!"

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan on doing that?" She asked.

Ryoga hesitated. "Um...Well..." He sweatdropped. "I haven't figured that out yet..."

Scarlett tilted her head. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Let's be friends." She said suddenly. Ryoga looked at her. "You're weird, really sensitive, but you seem nice. I feel like I can be friends with you." Ryoga smiled.

"Good friends?" He asked hesitantly.

Scarlett smiled. "Well, yeah. As long as you don't confuse me for Ranma, because I took out that red hair dye for a reason."

Ryoga blinked. "Took out? You mean pink is natural?" Scarlett nodded. Ryoga looked at her for a few seconds. "You look like Honey-chan!"

"Honey-chan?"

"Himamori Akane."

Scarlett made an 'o' with her mouth. "Honey-chan, huh? I'm gonna have to pick on her for that." She giggled. "So, you and Aka-senpai..." Ryoga assumed Scarlett had picked up on Honey-chan's 'senpai' nonsense.

"What?"

"Are you two...an item?" She asked.

Ryoga blushed. "N-No! We haven't even known each other that long..." He insisted. Scarlett frowned, hoping for a yes.

"Oh, too bad." She placed her hands under her chin. "Ryoga-kun, how about you give me a nickname, too?" She asked. "You gave her "Honey-chan", I think that's cute. I want one too." She chirped.

He looked at her. He tilted his head. "Akatsune-chan."

She blinked her pretty blue eyes. "That was fast."

"It was decided a while ago, after your curse. 'Aka' from akanbo, and "tsune" from kitsune."

"Akatsune-chan...okay! I like it! I'll give you a nickname!" She closed her eyes. "Hmm..." She smiled. "Ushinawa-chan!" She chirped.

Ryoga sweatdropped. "Ushinawa?! Are you kidding?!"

"Don't you like it?" Scarlett asked. She smiled. "It suits you!" She chirped.

Ryoga pouted. "I guess...It's a little insulting, though, isn't it?"

Scarlett shrugged her shoulders. "Hey, you make a nickname based off of my curse, I make one based off of yours." She chirped.

Ryoga smiled and stood up. "I have to go now." He chirped. He unknowingly walked towards the fountain. He hit the rim and waved his arms frantically, attempting to not fall into the water and activate his curse.

Scarlett closed her eyes and got up. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him away from the fountain. "I guess Ranchan and Akane were't lying about how lost you are. You nearly walked into the fountain." Ryoga laughed nervously.

"Y-Yeah, my bad."

She led him to the exit of the park, where his sheepish smile claimed his face. He grew serious. "We're friends again, but still," She blinked. "I won't fully forgive you until you remember me completely."

Scarlett sweatdropped. She smiled and held out her hand. "See you whenever."

Ryoga smiled lightly. "See you whenever." He took her hand and shook it.

Scarlett watched as he left. He looked left, than right. He turned around and walked toward her. She raised an eyebrow when he saw her and quickly ran out of the park, cursing loudly at "this damned curse!".

Scarlett giggled. "My instincts tell me that "whenever" means a few months." She heard a jingling noise. She looked around. "Where is that coming from?" She shrugged, leaving the park...

...Completely unaware of the fact that Ryoga had tied a blue ribbon and a bell around her neck.

* * *

><p><strong>Lol, completely cliché ending if you ask me. Well, I enjoyed this. Not at all what I was going for, but I enjoyed this.<strong>

**Footnote: Ryoga's new nickname is Ushinawa-chan, and Ushinawa is the Japanese term for "Lost". **

**Oh come on! You gotta admit that it's a pretty cute nickname! Anyway, is it me, or did Ryoga go a little crazy there? **

**Oh hey, I have this poll on my profile. It's about my other fic "Torn Apart". It's a sequel to "Kitty Kitty! The New Mew's Icy Adventure!" Can you guys do me a favor and vote for two animals on my poll? Seriously, it's killing me. Anyway...REVIEW! *Does peace sign before puppy pose***


	19. Xi Fa Xiang Gao Puppet Show!

Akane Tendo walked with Sayuri as they headed to school. "So Scarlett-chan's back?"

"Yeah, well sort of. She's kinda staying on the down low. I think she's planning something, so try not to spread word about it okay?" Sayuri nodded.

"You have my word. On a different topic, how are you and Ranma doing?"

Akane scowled. "Not well. He seems to like the new Akane more than me." She said, looking ahead of her. Himamori was walking ahead of them, reading a novel.

"No, that's not true! Ranma likes _Tendo_ Akane! Not _Himamori_ Akane!" Sayuri insisted.

"Yo! Akachan!" Ranma called. Akane and Sayuri turned around.

"See? He's even given you a pet name!"

Akane smiled. "Hey Ranma. What's-" Ranma ran right past her. "Up..."

He slowed to a walk next to Himamori. "What's up Akachan?"

Himamori looked at him. "Oh, hi Ranchan." She chirped.

"Whatcha readin'?" He asked. They began to converse idly.

Sayuri and Akane frowned. "Hmph. He wasn't talking to me. He was talking to _her_." Akane grumbled. Himamori put her book back into her bag. She held onto Ranma's arm. They laughed as they chatted. "How come they're so "Buddy buddy" like that?" Akane growled as she began to radiate an aura.

Himamori blinked. She looked behind her. She smiled at Akane and waved over her shoulder. This made Akane's scowl deepen. Himamori sweatdropped. _'Why is she glaring at me like that?'_ She looked at her hands, which were comfortably holding onto Ranma's arm. She turned blue. _'Wait...'_ She shrieked and quickly let go, walking ahead of the confused Ranma.

Sayuri attempted to calm her down. "I-it seems she received your message."

"What message? I wasn't doing anything!" Akane denied.

* * *

><p>Akane ate an apple while she read a manga. She was leaning against a tree. "Yo! Akachan!" Ranma chirped. She shrieked. Ranma was hanging upside down on a tree branch in front of her. He flipped. "What's up? You're reading a manga now?" He asked. "This morning you were reading a novel."<p>

"I finished it." She muttered.

"What's the matter? You look bummed, Akachan."

"Ahh...Ranchan? I think we shouldn't call each other by nicknames."

Ranma blinked. He jumped down. "Why not?"

She looked at her apple timidly and moved it around. "B-Because..."

Ranma grew curious. He tilted his head. "Why?"

She looked down. "Akane-senpai doesn't like it..." She muttered. She shook her head. "Maybe we shouldn't be so friendly. Akane-senpai might think that I'm trying to take you away from her."

"What? Akane doesn't care."

"Either way, maybe we should stay on the last name basis. Until Akane-senpai stops glaring at me like a mad wolf..." She shuddered. "She's really scary."

"Ah, she's just an uncute macho chick." He dismissed. He messed up her hair. "Besides, I only see ya as a little sister. You remind me too much of Scarlett. It'd be creepy if we were dating."

"Yeah. But either way, Akane-senpai is someone I don't want crossed at me. So can we stay on a last name basis for a little while?" Ranma shrugged. "Arigato, Saotome-senpai."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Himamori-chan." He walked away. Akane sighed. She continued to read her manga. She flipped the page and hissed.

"Papercut..." She looked at her finger as it bled.

"Here." She blinked and saw a bandaid being held to her.

"Huh?" She looked up and smiled. "Ryoga-senpai!" She took the bandaid and placed it on her cut. "Thank you." She chirped. He nodded. "What are you doing here? Are you enrolling?" She asked.

Ryoga shook his head. "No. I was trying to get to my house." He muttered.

Akane smiled. "I know where your house is. Saotome-senpai told me where it is."

"Saotome-senpai? I thought you called him Ranchan."

Akane sweatdropped. "Well, I did, but Akane-senpai doesn't seem to like how close we are, so I decided that it would be best if we distance ourselves." She shook her head. "Anyway, I can take you to your house after school."

Ryoga stared off into the distance. "Yeah, that'd be nice."

Akane blinked. "What's up? You seem distracted."

"Huh? Oh, uh...you see, I talked to Scarlett recently." He sighed.

This peeked Akane's interest. "Ooh, what happened? Did she remember you? Did you embrace? Or did she hit you? I wanna know!"

Ryoga blinked at the pink haired girl's curiosity. "Well, she thought my name was Ryou..." Akane gave him a pained look of apology. "Then we went to the park and I attacked her, thinking she was Ranma in disguise..." Akane sweatdropped. "But then we started talking. I insist that I won't forgive her if she doesn't remember me, and she tells me that she can't, no matter how hard she tries..." He sighed. "She remembers everything, and everyone except me."

Akane looked down. "It seems weird that she'd forget someone so important so quickly...I'd estimate that it should've taken her a full three years, but instead it took half of that." Her eyes widened in realization. "Why didn't I realize this before?! She's been traveling with an Amazon!" She looked at him. "I bet Perfume wiped her memory of you!" She insisted.

"What?"

"Yeah! I know what that is! I know it! It's..." She snapped her fingers. "It's the Xi Fa Xiang Gao!"

"The Xi Fa what?"

"The Xi Fa Xiang Gao! It's this move where the user washes the opponents hair while also hitting pressure points on the head to erase certain memories!" She smiled. "Perfume must've used it on Scarlett!"

"What? Why would she do that?"

Akane folded her arms. "Perfume's a nice girl, so I don't think she did this with bad intent..." She began to think. "Let's see..." She muttered. "Well, while I was traveling with them, Scarlett told me that she was going to continue traveling until she completely forgot you." She closed her eyes. "Well, maybe Scarlett was feeling homesick, and Perfume erased her memory so that she could be back with her family. Or maybe Scarlett asked her to."

Ryoga stared with disbelief. "Wha...? Is there anyway that I can restore her memories?"

"Um...Well, I think that's something you'll need to talk to Granny about." She smiled. "But until then, let's focus on getting you to your house. Or buying you a GPS." She insisted. "After school." She pointed to the ground. "Sit here, and don't move. Not even an inch." She smiled and stood. "I have to go."

* * *

><p>The Tendo and Saotome families sweatdropped as Scarlett tore apart the house. "WHERE IS THAT COMING FROM?!" She demanded. She flipped the couch. "IT'S DRIVING ME CRAZY!" She looked around and punched a hole in the wall, looking in to find the source of her insanity.<p>

Perfume walked into the living room. "What she doing?" She asked, moving to the others.

"I dunno..." Ranma muttered.

The pink haired Saotome grabbed Perfume's shoulders. "WHERE IS IT COMING FROM PERFUME?! WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?!"

"What? What? Where what come from?!"

"That ringing noise! It's been going on for almost an entire week! Almost every time I move, I hear that ringing and it's driving CRAZY!"

Akane and Ranma looked at each other. "You mean...you didn't notice?" Akane asked.

"Notice what?" She growled anxiously.

"It's been there for almost a week." Nabiki sighed boredly.

"WHAT?!"

Everyone in the house, Kasumi, Soun, Genma, Perfume, etc., pointed to their necks. "The bell." They said in unison.

Scarlett blinked. "Th-The bell? What bell?"

Kasumi smiled. "The bell around your neck, silly!" She chirped.

Scarlett raised a shaky hand to her neck and felt the bell. "H-Huh? When did this get here!?" She demanded. She blinked and looked back to when Ryoga hugged her, and when he put his hand on her neck. "That sneaky guy tied it around my neck when he hugged me..." She sighed. "Man...I've been freaking over a bell..." She tilted her head. The bell rang. "Now that I know it's not something meant to drive me to the loony bin, it's actually kind of soothing." Everyone fell over. Kasumi smiled lightly.

"Actually, the ribbon looks a little worn. I think that's the same ribbon Ryoga-kun gave to you after you became cursed." She observed. Scarlett blinked. She pulled out a mirror and aimed it at her neck. Yes, it was a slightly worn, sapphire ribbon.

"This is my bell..." She whispered. "I...see..." She looked at two families. "I'm...going to the dojo..." She walked out of the house.

"Ooh! Is you training? Perfume come too!" The green-haired beauty ran after her.

There was a knock on the door. Kasumi opened it. "Oh, Akachan, hello!" She chirped.

Himamori smiled. "Hi! Is Saotome-senpai here? I need to talk to him." She looked behind her. Ryoga was waiting at the entrance. "Ryoga-senpai does too."

Kasumi blinked. "Saotome-senpai? Do you mean Ranma-kun?" She asked. Himamori nodded. "Mmm. Ranma-kun, Akachan is here to speak with you! Ryoga-kun is too!"

Ranma and Akane went to the door. Akane went unnoticed. "Hi Ranchan!" She chirped. She covered her mouth when she felt Akane glaring at her. "I-I mean Saotome-senpai!" She squeaked, hiding behind Kasumi. "I-I was wondering if I could talk to you!" She blinked. "A-About Scarlett-chan!"

"Hmm? Lechan?" He asked.

"Mmhmm! I think I've figured out why she doesn't remember Ryoga-senpai," She looked back at him. "But to confirm my theory, I need to talk to Scarlett-chan and Perfume-chan. I was hoping you knew where they were staying."

Ranma smirked. "I can do better than that. They're in the dojo."

"Yeah? Can I go in?" She asked. They nodded. Himamori looked back at Ryoga. "Senpai, come on!" He got up, looking at his feet, and began to walk left. Himamori, Ranma, and Akane sweatdropped. "Wait a second!" She ran to him and dragged him to the dojo. "Now about that GPS..."

Ranma and Akane sighed.

* * *

><p>Scarlett and Perfume sparred with each other. Perfume kicked Scarlett into the wall. She got up and glared at Perfume. She looked to the side. She saw Himamori Akane. "AKA-SENPAI!" She squealed. She whirled past Perfume and hugged the short-haired girl. "What are you doing here?! HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN HERE?! OH MY KAMI THIS IS FABULOUS!" She squealed. "Have you learned any new techniques? Are you gonna share them with me? Come on, it's only fair and-" She looked to side, and saw that Akane was holding onto Ryoga. She blushed with utter excitement. "Ushinawa-chan, you sly liar." She cooed. Akane and Ryoga blinked. "You had me convinced that you two weren't a thing! You two are so <em>cute<em> together!"

They both blushed. "It's not like that! I was just keeping him from getting lost in the house! As it turns out, he really is as bad as he says." She whispered to Scarlett. "You know, he got lost in a closet at Kuno-senpai's house and thought it was a cave." Scarlett held in her laugh.

Ryoga blushed. "Ah, Honey-chan, she didn't need to know that!" He insisted. He shook his head. "Tell her why we're here!" He pleaded.

Akane blinked. She looked at Scarlett. "Hey, I just realized that your hair is pink."

"Yeah, I know. Cute right? It's all natural too! Just had that red hair dye removed and-"

"CAN WE PLEASE GET TO THE POINT!" Ryoga pleaded. The chatting girls sweatdropped before pouting.

"Meanie..." They muttered in unison. Ryoga blinked, realizing how similar they were, in more ways than appearance. He shook his head. Akane's expression became stern. "Anyway, we're here, because we need to ask Perfume a question." The serious tone in her voice worried the Amazon. She looked at Scarlett and Ryoga. "Actually, I'd like to talk to Perfume on my own. Would you two wait outside?" They blinked.

Scarlett and Ryoga looked at each other. Scarlett walked towards the the door leading to outside, while Ryoga began to walk in the opposite direction. The Saotome female rolled her eyes. She grabbed Ryoga's hand. There was a weird and familiar sparky feeling. She pulled back before grabbing his hand again and leading him to the pond.

Akane smiled as they left. She looked at Perfume. The Amazon shuddered at her change in demeanor. "Did you perform the Xi Fa Xiang Gao technique on Scarlett-chan?" Perfume's eyes widened.

* * *

><p>Scarlett made ripples in the water by throwing pebbles at them. She and Ryoga were rested on the roof. "So you have no plans to get together with Aka-senpai?"<p>

Ryoga sighed. "I already told you, _no_." He looked at her. "I like her, but don't really think I can see myself being with her," He said, looking at her. "She's like an older sister, even though she's younger than me. Does that make sense?" He asked. Scarlett tossed another pebble at the pond.

"I...guess so."

"She's a lot like you." He added.

Scarlett tensed. She looked at the Koi fish. They swam around at different speeds. "I think Aka-chan is more like Kasumi than me. She doesn't really resort to violence, she has incredible maternal instincts, and she has these qualities makes everyone want to be around her. Normal people I mean. Not crazy martial artists..." Her eyes softened. "I don't have those qualities. I'm nothing like Aka-senpai, or Kasumi..."

"What do you mean?" Ryoga asked. "I think you're a lot like them!" He insisted. "In fact, I think you're just the same!"

Scarlett frowned. "And how does that work? I'm a fighter, Ushinawa." She sighed. "Kasumi is a pure hearted soul, and while Aka-senpai is a martial artist, she doesn't have an ounce of blood lust in her." She twirled her hair. She smiled. "They're so normal. I envy them."

"Akatsune-chan, why are you talking this way?" Scarlett blinked. "Yes, you're passive aggressive, but then again, what martial artist isn't in these parts?" He reasoned. "Compared to a lot of people here, you are one of the most normal people I've ever met!" He clenched his fists. You do have the same qualities as them! And others that are all yours!"

Scarlett blinked twice. She looked around. "I do?"

"Yeah!" He smiled as he looked at the sky. "You're charming, friendly, goofy, playful, smart, witty, funny, strong, independant, cunning, determined-" He stopped to catch his breath. "And you're cute!" Scarlett looked at the lost boy with red cheeks.

"A-Ah..." She looked down. "Hmm..." She muttered. She smiled. "Thanks." She said awkwardly. "You're sweet." She looked at the Koi fish. "Maybe...you are the guy..." He blinked. She leaned back, blushing, highly flustered. "I can definitely see myself falling in love with you..." Ryoga stared at her.

"Huh?"

She covered her mouth. Her face heated up. "I said that out loud!? I-I-I mean...You can't prove anything!" She sweatdropped at the look Ryoga gave her. She bowed her head. "I'm sorry...I blurt stuff out when I'm flustered like that..."

Ryoga smiled. "That's okay, you should see me when I'm around Akane-san. That's a mess." He looked at her. She had a smile on her face, and he knew what it was about. "_Tendo_ Akane!" He shrieked. She puffed out her cheek.

"You're no fun..."

Ryoga sighed. "I already told you, I can't see myself being with her."

Scarlett rolled her eyes. "Whatever, Ushinawa-chan." He stared at her with a somewhat annoyed expression on his handsome face. Scarlett's cheeks turned pink. She looked to the side. "I wonder if he can see us together..." She muttered. Ryoga had to strain his ears to hear her.

"Huh?"

Scarlett covered her mouth and kicked her legs. "I did it again! What is wrong with me!?" She yelled.

Ryoga looked at her, blinking. He smiled and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to freeze. She looked at him hesitantly, her cheeks a dark pink now. He placed a hand on her head. "You're so cute. You're just like a little kid."

Scarlett blushed and touched her cheek, looking down shyly. "Ya think so? I'm usually so mature..." She blinked and narrowed her eyes at him. Ryoga shifted uncomfortably. "Are you really Hibiki Ryoga?" She asked.

"What?"

"Ranchan told me, and I'm just quoting here, that you were a "shy and pitiful fool". And that you're "Too stupid to talk to girls right". I didn't expect you to do something so bold as to just kiss me like that."

Ryoga growled. "Remind me to kill that bastard later on..." He muttered. Scarlett sweatdropped. "Anyway, I've matured since you left...I'm not as shy as I was before." He patted her head. "But I still have trouble talking sometimes."

Scarlett blinked. She tilted her head. "I don't get you. But I don't mind."

Ryoga smiled. He lightly tapped his fist on her head, and kept it there. She blinked. "I could say the same about you." He removed his hand. "I never really understood you, Akatsune-chan. But we get along great anyway."

Scarlett scratched her head. "Yeah I guess." She put a finger on her chin. "We do get along, even though I just met you a while ago..." Ryoga sweatdropped. He stood up.

"I THOUGHT WE ESTABLISHED THAT YOU ALREADY KNOW ME!" He yelled with frustration. Scarlett sweatdropped.

"G-Gomen nasai!" She stammered.

Akane walked out of the dojo and called up to them. "Okay, I've figured this all out! You guys can come down now! But first, Perfume and I are gonna get some snacks, so can you just wait in the dojo?" They looked down at her before at each other. They hopped down. They entered the dojo.

There was a blur of green and pink. Scarlett and Ryoga looked around. They got into fighting stances as they looked around. "What was that?" She asked.

Ryoga looked around. "I don't know..." He looked around one more time. "Maybe it was just our imagination..."

_**Meanwhile, up on the ceiling of the dojo...**_

Perfume and Akane held string, wrapped around their fingers. They were directly above Scarlett and Ryoga. Akane looked at her. "Is this really a good idea?" She asked.

Perfume smiled confidently. "Perfume never have bad idea. This work all the time back in village." She assured, watching as Scarlett walked to the center of the dojo. She jumped onto the beam directly above her.

Akane looked down at them. "Okay...Here goes, then."

Perfume surpressed a giggle as she crossed her hands. Scarlett turned around. "H-huh?"

"Perfume, you sure you know how to copy voices?"

"Of course Perfume can!" She chirped, using Scarlett's voice. Akane blinked. Impressive. "Perfume will do Ryoga too, is a little more tricky though. She cleared her throat. "Ushinawa-chan, Scarlett remember you completely!" She chirped. Akane sweatdropped. She closed her eyes and shook her head.

Ryoga smiled. "You do?!"

"H-Huh? What? No, I didn't-" Perfume moved her hand to her mouth, and Scarlett did the same.

Perfume began to speak again. "I so happy I remember again!"

Akane fought the urge to facepalm herself. "Does he not notice Scarlett talking in third person?" She asked.

Perfume shushed her. "Scarlett remember all the pain, but also remember the joys!"

Ryoga smiled. "You do?"

Scarlett wanted to shake her head, but she wasn't allowed. "Ushinawa-chan, Scarlett miss you so much!" Perfume exclaimed. She narrowed her eyes. "Now for hard part..." She cleared her throat. She tested her voice. "Kay..." Ryoga's voice came out of her mouth. Akane sweatdropped. It was weird.

She bit her bottom lip. She moved her hands. Ryoga began to walk towards Scarlett. He looked at his feet. _'W-what's going on?'_ He thought. Perfume nodded to hwerself.

"Scarlett, I miss you too..." Perfume said. Ryoga blinked. He was pretty sure he didn't say that. Akane lowered her pinky. Ryoga put his head down, his hair covering his eyes. He blinked. "I was kind of lonely...without Scarlett..." She said.

Scarlett's eyes widened. "You were lonely?" She asked. Ryoga was about to protest, when Akane put her hand to her mouth, he did too. Scarlett frowned. "Ushinawa-chan, I'm sorry..." She muttered.

Ryoga willingly walked closer to Scarlett. "Don't be sorry, it's okay." He assured. Scarlett looked at him.

Perfume smirked. "Now for good part." She whispered. She threw her arms forward. Scarlett's eyes widened as she suddenly threw herself at Ryoga. Ryoga was shocked.

Scarlett's cheeks reddened as she pushed herself off somewhat to look at him. "I-I..." She was shushed when Ryoga put his hand on the back of her head and pushed it back on his chest. He placed his other hand around her back, and rested his head on hers. His eyes widened.

_'I don't know what's going on...'_ He thought worriedly. _'I think someone's controlling me...Scarlett doesn't even know it! Oh no, what if she thinks I'm leading her on!?'_

Akane smiled at her little maneuver. "This is actually going pretty well..." She whispered. He opened his mouth. Akane looked at him with wide eyes. "He knows..." She said to Perfume. "Perfume, ready for the big finish?"

"Perfume love this part." Akane moved her hands. Ryoga leaned down.

_'Whoever is doing this must be a puppet master or something. Or maybe someone with advanced magic...I haven't had control of my body since we walked in here! I hope Honey-chan and Perfume are okay. This is nuts!'_ He realized what was happening. _'Crap, they want me to kiss her!'_ He closed his eyes. "Forgive me Scarlett! It's not me!" He kissed her. Her eyes widened.

* * *

><p><strong>AAAAANNNNND SCENE! What was the whole puppet show about? What were they trying to pull? Other than strings. *Drums*<strong>

***Audience silence***

**...Whatever. What will Scarlett's reaction be? Will she truly remember Ryoga after the kiss, or will she freak out? Or will she pass out? Or beat the crap out of him? Will they catch Perfume and Akane? Who knows. I don't. I haven't gotten that far. *Does peace sign before victory pose* /\_/\**


	20. Complications

Scarlett pushed Ryoga off and slapped him. "PERVERT!" She shouted. She ran away. Perfume shrieked as she was nearly pulled to the ground as the strings snapped. The same happened with Akane when Ryoga ran after her.

Akane and Perfume looked at each other. Akane punched Perfume on the back of her head. "Ow! What that for!?"

"Your stupid idea didn't bring back Scarlett's memory! This just made her get mad at him!"

"Is part of plan, Delivery Girl!" Perfume snapped, rubbing her head.

Akane scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Perfume remember Scarlett telling story about how Ryoga steal first kiss! When Scarlett realize scenario is similar, she remember what Perfume make her forget!"

Akane held her head. "I'm confused." She looked at her. "So you wanted to make Scarlett remember Ryoga by forcing him to kiss her?" She asked with confusion. She tilted her head. "Actually, Scarlett told me that story. Weren't they on the roof? And wasn't the sun setting? If you were going to have us recreate this, you should've gotten the setting right!"

"Why you put all blame on Perfume? You have part in problem too!"

"Well, it was your idea!"

"You still take part!"

"That's because I didn't fully understand!"

"Plan is going perfect!" She smiled. "Next, Scarlett go to Akane, but this time, Scarlett talk to Himamori Akane instead!"

Akane sighed. "We wouldn't be going through this if you hadn't wiped her memory..."

"No was Perfume idea. Scarlett ask Perfume to use Xi Fa Xiang Gao. Perume no can say no when Scarlett change to very, very cute fox." She said.

Akane sighed. "There's one problem though."

"What?"

"Ryoga-sempai went _after_ Scarlett-chan! He didn't do that the first time!"

"Oh...um...You right. Is big problem. We go stop him now!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett growled when Ryoga managed to catch her. Ryoga's iron grip refused to let go of her wrist. "Let me go you pervert!"<p>

"Akatsune-chan, just listen! I didn't kiss you on purpose!" Scarlett scowled and stop struggling, just enough for him to know she was listening. "I was being controlled!" He insisted. "I dunno how, but someone was using me like a puppet, and talking for me, using my voice! I know you don't believe me, but it's the truth, I swear! I would never try to lead you on like that!"

Scarlett blinked. "I believe you. I was being controlled too..." She muttered. "I didn't say any of that stuff. I don't remember you, and I didn't want to throw myself at you." She growled. "Whoever did that in for a world of pain." She blinked. "But how exactly did they manage to control us anyway?"

Ryoga blinked, unsure himself. "I dunno." He muttered. He blinked. "Is that string on your arm?" He asked. He took her hand and sure enough, there was thread. It was long. She had string on he other arm too. "I wonder..." He grabbed the ends of the string and jumped into the tree. He began to move his hands and Scarlett's arms moved as well. "I was right!" He broke the string. "Whoever did that was a puppet master!" He tore off all the string on Scarlett. "I bet there's string on me too..." He tore it all off. "But there's one thng I don't get, why didn't they attack?"

"And did they make you kiss me?"

Ryoga blushed, nodding. "I respect you too much to kiss you without your permission."

Scarlett blushed. She smiled. "But you did kiss me on the cheek."

Ryoga sweatdropped. "W-Well...I dunno, I guess..." He bowed. "FORGIVE ME!"

Scarlett blinked. She shook her head, her pigtails following. "Don't worry about that!" She clapped a fist. "I don't think we should worry about that puppet master or whatever! I think it may have been just some harmless prank. If there was bad intent, wouldn't they have made us say mean things and fight each other instead of what they actually did?"

Ryoga bowed his head, thinking it over. "I guess so..." He muttered. He smiled and put his hand on her head, rubbing it and messing her hair up slightly.

She blinked at the affectionate gester. She smiled widely. "Can I call you Oniichan!? Please?" She asked.

Ryoga blinked. He looked at his hand that was still perched on her head. _'I suppose this __**is**__ a brotherly gester.'_ He smiled. "Sure." She smiled. "Geez, Akatsune, you weren't this forgiving the first time I kissed you." He chirped. She furrowed her brows.

"No?"

"No. You slapped me, and stopped calling me Ryoga-kun. You just called me Ryoga, and you became a little cold to me. Of course, we quickly became friends again." He rang her bell with his finger. "Not too long after I gave you this."

Scarlett blinked and put a finger to her chin. "Lessee...Mmm...I remember something similar to that..." She smiled. "I guess _do_ I remember you, Ushinawa-oniichan." She tilted her head. "Just a little bit."

Ryoga blinked and stared at her.

* * *

><p>Akane and Perfume had caught up to the duo. They blinked when they saw Ryoga placing his hand on Scarlett's head. Perfume blinked. "W-What?"<p>

"They already kissed and made up?" Akane asked. She folded her arms. "Wow, that was fast." Suddenly, Ryoga became silent and stared at her.

Suddenly Ryoga jumped into the air and pumped a fist. "ALRIGHT!" He cheered. The three girls sweatdropped. Ryoga picked Scarlett up by the waist. He spun in a circle. Scarlett blinked. "Say it again! Say you remember me!"

"I-I remember you?"

"Lemme hear it again!"

"I remember you!"

"Say it again!"

"I remember you!"

"Again!"

"I remember you, Ushinawa-oniichan!" He brought her down and hugged her, causing another chain of sweatdrops. "You're so excited, but I only said I remember you a little bit!"

Ryoga hugged her tighter. "I don't care!" He smiled. "I don't think I've ever been this happy before in my life!"

"Th-that's nice and all...but you're killing me...!" She choked. Ryoga loosened his grip. _'This is so awkward...Why am I never comfortable when I'm being hugged by someone other than Ranma?'_

"O-Oh..." They heard. Ryoga tensed. "I see...you've found someone else, Ryoga-chan..."

Ryoga turned around. "A-Akari!"

Scarlett quickly turned her attention to the girl with greenish brown hair. She looked so shocked. So pained. Scarlett stared with disbelief. _'It's her!'_

She examined the situation. Akari, Ryoga's ex-girlfriend. Scarlett, apparently Ryoga's unofficial ex-girlfriend. Ryoga, the ex-boyfriend, had his arms around Scarlett. Akari and Ryoga obviously still have feelings for each other. Akari clearly had the wrong idea.

Scarlett looked at Ryoga's hands. Then at him. Then his hands. Then at him. She pushed him off and blushed. "It's not what it looks like, I swear!" She insisted. She cleared her throat. "You're Unryu Akari, right? It's been a long time." She chirped. She smiled uneasily. "I-I don't know if you remember me or not, but I'm Saotome Scarlett."

"You look different..." Akari muttered.

Scarlett scratched her head. "I went on a training trip, and came back when I forgot Ryoga." She pointed at him. "However, he was totally furious at me for doing so, and became really frustrated as he tried to get me to remember him." Akari nodded. They looked at Ryoga. "Ryoga and I aren't in a relationship. He was just happy that I remembered him a little bit and hugged me." She smiled. "Do you understand? There's absolutely _nothing_," She made an "X" with her arms to stress the word. "Going on between us."

Akari smiled. "Oh, so it was just a friendly hug?"

Scarlett and Ryoga nodded in unison. "Yes yes!" She pushed him to her. "Now, you two kiss and make up, okay?" She waved and began to walk backwards. She blinked when she saw Akane and Perfume. "Aka-sempai! Perfume-chan, what're you doing here?!" She ran up to them. She blinked again at their expression. "W-What are you making those faces for?"

They stared at her with dot eyes. "You just..."

"Um..." She smiled uneasily again. "Hey, I remember Ushinawa-oniichan, a little bit!" She chirped. Perfume and Akane looked at each other before fainting. Scarlett shrieked. "H-Hey! Hey! Are you okay?! Hello?!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett brushed her hair, humming lightly. Ryoga and Akari had gotten back together that afternoon, and Scarlett was pretty happy about that, but something about it also bothered her. She stopped in mmid-brush. She took her hair out of her pigtails, and stared at her reflection. When her hair was let loose, it was revealed to be very long, past her back and to her thighs. She usually brushed in pigtails, because it was faster. She brushed her hair, one section at a time.<p>

"Something about Unryu Akari bothers me...I don't get it though..." She furrowed her brows. "She seems so nice." She tilted her head. She smiled. "She's definitely normal. As far as I know, anyway." She chuckled. "I wonder what Ranma's doing..." She grabbed her house phone and dialed the Tendo number.

_Doooo...Doooo..._

"Moshi moshi?"

"Ah, hi Kasumi-neechan! It's Scarlett!"

"Oh, hi Scarlett-chan. Is there something you need?"

"Yes, is Ranma there?" She asked.

Kasumi shook her head. "No, he's not. He has a three hour detention today."

"Oh. Well, what about Uncle Panda?"

"Mmm, let me check..." Scarlett heard Kasumi press the phone against her chest. "Saotome-san, Scarlett-chan is on the pho-"

"Hello Scarlett!?"

Scarlett chuckled at how quickly Genma took the phone. "Ah...Hi, Uncle Panda? I was wondering if you were up for sparring with me today. I'm bored and I have NOTHING to do."

"Oh...so I'm just a last resort?"

She sweatdropped._ 'I can see how he came to that conclusion...'_ She smiled. "No no, it's not like that!" She offered. "I'll be over in a few minutes, okay?" She hung up. "Man, what a nut." She tied her hair into a sloppy ponytail and ran to the Tendo Residance.

* * *

><p>Scarlett got into a defensive stance as Genma charged for her. She slid as he kicked her. She spotted an opening. "Here we go!" She kicked his side, sendng him crashing into the wall. Scarlett smirked as he quickly bounced back. "You've gotten pretty sloppy Uncle Panda. The last time I sparred with you, I wasn't able to hit you!" She tried to punch him in the face.<p>

Genma jumped over it. "I suppose it's true, I haven't really been fighting much. Or maybe you've just improved a great deal." He swung a kick.

Scarlett grabbed his leg and tossed him. "Maybe, but all you need to know is that I'm better than you, now."

This just about killed Genma's pride. "W-What?!" She jumped and kicked him, knocking him back. He stayed down.

Scarlett sweatdropped. "Uncle, are you okay?" She nudged him with her foot. "Um...Hello?" She looked around and left the dojo. She put a sign on the door. It read: _I knocked Uncle out, please take care of him_

_Scarlett._

She walked out of the house, ignoring Kasumi's questions, whistling innocently, as if nothing happened.

* * *

><p>Scarlett walked along the fence. Miyu was behind her She closed her eyes, wondering if she should've just taken Genma to see Dr. Tofu. She bowed her head, sighing. She bumped into someone. Their heads hit each other and she shrieked. She jumped backwards and held her head, crouched over.<p>

"Oww, watch where the hell you're going, jerk!" She groaned.

"Me? You were the one walking with your eyes closed!" The person she bumped into yelled.

"Oh, so you admit that you saw me!" Scarlett growled, looking up at him with one eye. She blinked. "Huh?" She stood up and walked up to the boy. She got in his face and blinked. He blushed. She narrowed her eyes. "Beryl Kouki?" She asked.

Kouki rubbed his head. "Yeah, that's me, who are you?" He asked.

She smiled. "It's me, Saotome Scarlett!" She smiled. "It's great to see you again!" Scarlett blinked when Kouki stared at her. "Kouki? Are you okay?"

His shoulders rose as he began to tremble. "Scarlett, it's really you?" He asked, worriedly.

She smiled at him, nodding. "Why are you so overcome with emotion? I haven't even been gone for a full two years." She smiled and grabbed his hand. "I see that you've been practicing with Ranma, you walk on the fence now." She chirped.

Kouki felt tears well up in his eyes. "Y-Yeah, no one's been messing with me, but I still need to work on my technique."

Scarlett smiled and rubbed her thumb against the back of his hand reassuringly. "Then I guess it's a good thing that I'm here. You can start training under me in two days, if you want."

Kouki closed his eyes and hugged her. Scarlett's natural reflexes caused her to tense. She smiled and allowed him to hug her. She felt her shoulder get wet as he cried. "I missed you..." He muttered.

She smiled as he let her go. "You're such a crybaby." She slapped his back and smiled. "I guess that just adds to your charm."

Kouki wiped away his tears. "Thanks." He touched her hair. "Your hair is pink. It's really cute." He recollected himself and smiled. "Hey, now that you're back," He looked at the ground and shook his head. "Um...Nevermind..."

Scarlett smiled. "Why don't you come to my house tomorrow at three? We can catch up over dango and green tea." She grabbed a pen from her pocket. "Lemme see your hand." She took his hand again, and wrote her address on his arm. "See ya then." She smiled at him and jumped over him, and continued walking.

Kouki watched her until she was out of site. He smiled widely, looking at his arm. "Yes!" He pumped a fist. He ran along the fence and left.

Scarlett smiled as she heard his cheer. _'Kouki only stuttered twice. He's sure matured.'_ She blinked. _'Other than that crying thing, I guess. He's always been a bit emotional.'_ She stopped smiling. "He used to be cute..." She smiled again. "Now he's pretty handsome."

* * *

><p><strong>Well, that sucked, but I hope you like it!<strong>


	21. Scarlett's Name

Scarlett hummed as she a cooked the rice. She smiled as she took the rice out and began to shape it. She placed a slice of octopus in the back of the rice ball. She smiles and did five more, though three of them had pork. She smiled and put them in two boxes. She smiled and began making octopus puffs. She flipped them. She carefully placed six in each box. She then proceeded to put in mixed fruits and veggies before closing it and smiling. She checked her watch.

"Good. Perfume, I'm leaving!" She ran out of the house with the two bento boxes and headed for the school. There, she spotted a little circle containing Ranma, Ryoga, and both Akanes.

Ranma pouted. "Come on Akane, you gotta let me have some of your lunch, the school store is all out!"

Akane shrugged. "You snooze you lose."

Ranma groaned. Ryoga looked down, ignoring his growling tummy. "Ranma-oniisan! Ushinawa-oniichan!" They blinked and looked back to see Scarlett running to them. "Hey you guys!" She smiled and held out the bento boxes. "I made you guys lunch!" She handed one to Ranma and gave the other to Ryoga.

"Thanks!" They chorused. Ryoga opened his and paled when he saw the many pork based food.

"Pork..."

Scarlett smiled proudly. "Mmm! Oniisan told me that you liked pork!"

Ranma snickered. Ryoga shook his head. "No...I don't. Sorry, I can't eat this." He handed her the box.

Scarlett glared at Ranma and snatched his bento. "Here. This one is octopus."

Ranma gasped. "That's mine!"

Scarlett shoved the pork bento at him. "_This_ is yours. That was mean, Oniisan." Ranma grumbled and ate the bento. She looked at Ryoga. "Ne, Ushinawa-oniichan, go ahead and eat. You like octopus, right?"

He nodded. He looked at the bento box suspiciously. From what he remembered, Scarlett wasn't the best cook. Had she improved over her time away? He gulped. "Itadakimasu..." He tried the octopus puff. "Wow, this is great!" He chowed down. Scarlett smiled.

"Itadakimasu..." Ranma ate with his usual appetite. "Wow, your cooking skills have really changed!" He ate a rice ball. "Dis shtuff ish great!" Scarlett smiled.

Akane rolled her eyes. Scarlett smiled and watched them eat for a few more seconds before beginning to walk away.

"Oi, is that you Saotome?" Ranma and Scarlett both looked to the side to see a young girl with blue hair and purple eyes. Scarlett blinked. She looked at the girl for a long time before smiling.

"Hikaru-kun?" The girl smiled. Scarlett squealed and knocked her over, hugging her. "What are you doing here?"

"I moved here." They squealed.

Scarlett smiled and looked at her friends. "You guys, this is my childhood friend Hiro Hikaru. I've known her before I dyed my hair red and met Ranma." She turned to Hikaru. "Hikaru-kun, this is my cousin/brother Saotome Ranma, his fiancée Tendo Akane, and my friends Hibiki Ryoga, and Himamori Akane."

Hikaru bowed, smiling. "Please ta meet cha."

They all bowed. "So you two have known each other for a long time?"

Scarlett smiled, looking at Hikaru. "Hai. We became friends when we were in daycare. Scarlett was a bit of an outcast, so I made several attempts to become friends with her. She was stubborn, and was determined to be a lone wolf, but I weakened her defenses after a year and a half."

Scarlett punched her lightly with amusement. "Hikaru stuck to me like glue. I agreed to be her friend only because she promised to stop bothering me for a week. But she grew on me."

Ryoga blinked. "You used to be a loner?"

Scarlett nodded nonchalantly. "Yeah. I liked to hang out by myself and practice my katas and martial arts on my own, and I didnt like being around other kids. Hikaru-kun pulled me out of my shell. If I hadn't agreed to be her friend, I'd probably still be a stoic little brat." She chuckled. Scarlett put her fist on Hikaru's face playfully. "In fact, the only reason I agreed to be friends with her was to get her to leave me alone for a week. She convinced me to to teach her some basic katas, and she became interested in martial arts. Eventually she talked me into training her, and once again, the reason I agreed was to get her to leave me alone for a week."

Himamori looked at Hikaru. "How nice. So are you going to school here now?"

Hikaru nodded. "Yep!" She smiled and looked at Scarlett. "Hey, Pinku-chan, you wanna spar with me?"

Scarlett smiled smiles eagerly. "You bet! You've been practicing, right?"

Hikaru shrugged. "I've slacked off a little, but I should still be a good match for you." She got into a stance.

Scarlett smirked. "Maybe, if I hadn't gone an intense training trip with an Amazon." She got into a stance. "Ready?"

Akane stood up. "Maybe now isn't the best time. After all, lunch is almost over, Hiro-san."

The two girls got out of their stances. Hikaru waved a dismissive hand. "Don't be so formal. Call me by my name."

Himamori smiled. "So, Scarlett-chan, when do you plan on taking your enrollment exam?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Dunno." She looked at Ryoga. "Ushinawa-oniichan, what about you? Are you gonna go to school here?"

Ryoga blinked. "School? Me?" He looked down, thinking about it. "I guess I could...but I haven't been in school for a long time..."

The girls smiled. "That's alright Ryoga-kun." Akane smiled at him. Himamori nodded. Scarlett smiled and walked up to him.

"No need to worry. Ushinawa-oniichan is really smart!" Ryoga blushed and smiled.

Hikaru blinked and looked at them before smiling! "Hai! You and Pinku-chan can help each other study!" The bell rang. The four students stood.

"Well, lunch is over." Himamori smiled. "See you two later. Come on, Hikaru-kun, I'll show you around."

Hikaru nodded and smiled at Scarlett. "Hai! You two have fun!" She winked. Scarlett blinked and looked at Ryoga. She smiled.

"That Hikaru girl is kinda quirky."

Scarlett giggled. "Yeah, she is. But you'll get used to her. In comparison to a lot of people we know, she's actually pretty normal." She stood up and dusted off her shorts. "Let's go to my house. We should be able to study there. Just don't pay Perfume too much mind." She blinked. "That is, if you want to. I'm sure Akari-chan would love to help you study."

Ryoga blinked and shook his head. "No thank you. I'd rather study with you. We haven't really spent any quality time together since Akari and I got back together, have we?" She blushed. Then he put his hand on her head.

Scarlett looked at him with a smile. _'Why am I blushing? He only sees me as a little sister, just like I see him as a big brother.'_

She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Ryoga nodded, keeping his smile. "Hai. I missed you, Akatsune-chan."

Scarlett's faced turned three different shades of red. She smiled. "Hai!"

* * *

><p>Scarlett hummed lightly as she jumped houses. "Ye-pa-pa Ye-pa-pa..." She was in a fairly good mood. "Lucky me, I was smart enough to stay in the school and wait out the rain. No fox for me!" While she had to admit that the roofs were slippery due to the many puddles, a trained martial artist like her wasn't bothered by it at all. "Eek!" Oh no, I jinxed her! Scarlett shrieked as she slipped and was falling down the building, unable to recover from her shock and land on her feet. She expected to hit the ground hard, but was startled when someone caught her.<p>

"Are you OK?"

Scarlett blushed. "H-Hai! A-arigato!" She got a good look at her savior. He was a good looking fellow, with brown hair with red streaks, and reddish orange eyes. "Um...can you put me down?"

The boy sweatdropped and let her go. "Sorry. Don't you know its dangerous to jump off wet roofs?"

Scarlett folded her arms. "Yes, I'm aware. This has just never happened before." She ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm Saotome Scarlett, thanks for saving me, I guess."

The boy nodded. "I'm Harune Levi. Pleased to meet you." Scarlett sweatdropped when Levi was suddenly hit on the head by Mousse.

"Levi, don't you bother Scarlett-chan!" He snapped.

Scarlett blinked. "Mu-Mu-chan, you and Levi know each other?"

Mousse nodded. "He's my younger cousin." He glared at him. "He's also a major playboy. Levi, I don't want you bothering Scarlett-chan. She's much too innocent for you." Scarlett blushed.

Levi stuck his tongue out. "Chill out. I was only saving a pretty girl." Mousse stepped in front of Scarlett.

"I acknowledge that she's pretty Levi, but she's off limits."

Levi blinked. "Are you two dating?"

Scarlett and Mousse blushed. "No way!" Mousse glared at him. "I love Shampoo!"

"What? You've been chasing after her since we were kids! She doesn't love you back, man! Move on!"

Scarlett grabbed Mousse's arm before he could lunge at Levi. She looked at him guiltily. "Mu-Mu-chan, are you really gonna attack your own family over a girl?" He stared at her. "Look, I know its hard, but your feelings for Shampoo are not mutual. You have to accept it." She tried to look at him with her most comforting expression. "Mu-Mu-chan, I'm not trying to upset you. Neither is Harune-kun. Why bother pursuing a relationship that isn't going to happen? Shampoo has been rejecting you since you were three. You have to get over her." She insisted.

Levi raised an eyebrow. "Hey, Satome-chan, you're friends with Hiro Hikaru, right?"

Scarlett blinked and looked at him. "Yes. We're childhood friends. Are you her boyfriend?"

Levi smirked. "Trying to be. She's kinda hard to woo."

Scarlett nodded. "OK?" She turned to Mousse. "Mu-Mu-chan, I-" He was gone. Scarlett and Levi blinked.

* * *

><p>Somehow, over the past week, Scarlett had become Ryoga's tutor. He greatly appreciated it. He was glad to have such a pure hearted friend that was willing to help him as he reentered the life of school.<p>

However, something else was on his mind. A certain green haired Amazon had asked a certain question.

_"Ryoga is good friend with Scarlett, yes?"_

_Ryoga blinked. "I'd like to think I am, why?" _

_"You know Scarlett real name? She no tell Perfume!"_

_Ryoga frowned. "Real name? You mean it's not Scarlett?" Perfume shook her head. "Sorry, Perfume, but I don't know the answer to that. I'll try to find out for you." _

_Perfume grinned. "Thank you! All Perfume know is that name start with A!"_

The topic had certainly peaked the fanged boy's curiosity, but he had no idea how he was going to find out. If Scarlett wouldn't tell Perfume, the odds of her telling him weren't very high. He sighed as he looked around.

"Where is the dojo...?" He sweatdropped as he felt a certain lady splash him with water while cleaning her sidewalk. "Bwee! Bweeee!" He snorted angrily to the woman. She stared at him and went inside her house. He sighed. Well, at least he knew he was still within the district. He looked around and began to think. _'Well, from here, I guess I should try following scents...' _

"P-Chan!" He heard. He turned around, expecting to see a certain black haired Tendo. Instead, he saw a pink haired Saotome. Scarlett smiled and picked him up. "I haven't seen you in a while, little guy. How are you? Are you looking for Akane?"

"Bwee."

Scarlett smiled and walked. "I was gonna stop by at my house, but I think Akane would like to see you." She looked at the sky. "Hmm... Looks like it might rain today... Better take a shortcut. I've turned into a fox once today, and that's enough for me." That said, Scarlett began to jump from roof to roof in the direction of the household.

Scarlett slid open the door to Akane's window. "RANMA YOU PERV!" And was greeted by a mallet to the face. Curtasy of none other than Akane herself.

When the mallet was removed, Scarlett's expression was anything but pretty. "But I'm not even Ranma..." She managed before falling backwards.

Akane sweatdropped. "Oops..." **bbbb**

Ryoga was lucky enough to have changed back without raising suspicion, and was now in Akane's room, watching with minor amusement as she apologized furiously to Scarlett while placing a bandage on her nose.

He cleared his throat, catching their attention. "Scarlett, Perfume asked me an interesting question. You see, she wants to kn-"

"I'm not telling you my real name. It's old fashioned, and I don't like it. End of discussion." Scarlett said sharply.

Akane raised an eyebrow. "Isn't your name Scarlett?"

"No. It's a name I go by. I always liked the name Scarlett better."

Akane and Ryoga shared glances and immediately, both were determined to learn the Saotome girl's real name.

"Perfume said it starts with an A. Is it Ami?" Ryoga asked.

"No. It starts with a Y, not an A." She blew at her hair. "I said that just so she would leave me alone about it."

"Is it Yoshi?"

"No."

"Yoiko?"

"No. I'm not telling you, so don't bother." She jumped out the window and ran away.

Akane blinked. "What do you think it is?" She asked. Ryoga shrugged, unable to think of anything himself.

* * *

><p>Akane and Ryoga stood at the receptionists desk irrtably. "What do you mean you won't tell us her real name?" Akane demanded.<p>

The woman frowned. "I'm sorry, but Saotome-kun told me on the day she registered for school the first time not to tell anyone her real name, and requested that her name would be changed to Scarlett in the system."

The two teens grumbled with irritation. "Fine." Akane muttered as she left the room with the fanged boy. "She really thought of everything didn't she?" Ryoga only nodded.

* * *

><p>Scarlett let out an annoyed grunt as Ranma dragged her towards the TendoSaotome Residence. She was literally in the middle of slurping noodles when Ranma burst into her and Perfume's home and dragged her by the back of her blouse.

"Why the hell are you dragging me!?" She demanded angrily.

"Ma is supposed to be coming over soon, so you'll have to come over and pretend to be Ranko!"

"But my hair is pink!"

"Ranko dyed her hair then. Do you want me to commit seppuku!?" Ranma demanded.

"Kinda."

"Just do this for me?! I promise after I beat Akachan, I'll tell Ma all about me being Ranko and then you'll never have to do it again, OK?"

"I hate you..."

"No you don't."

"I know." She grumbled irritably. Ranma chuckled. "I'm serious this isn't going to work anymore."

"Why not?"

"Because my hair is _pink_!" Ranma growled in annoyance and pushed her inside. Scarlett cursed under her breath and tied her hair down in a pigtail. She sighed in irritation wondering what was there for her to accomplish by lying to her auntie. She couldn't stand the deception. This was her second time doing so, but Ranma had done so often, apparently. She sighed and waited for the arrival of her aunt. Then she noticed a certain fanged boy coming out of the bathroom. Scarlett smiled as Ryoga jogged up to her and began to converse.

Just as the pink haired beauty found herself getting comfortable in the familiar house, she heard a loud shout and the sound of a distressed animal following.

"Get back here you overgrown rat!" Scarlett ran outside and sweatdropped. Hikaru was chasing a baby black bear cub, a frying pan gripped tightly in her right hand. Scarlett's eyes widen.

"Hikaru what the hell are you doing!?" She ran onto the sidewalk. The baby bear quickly hid behind her.

Hikaru seemed unaware of the presence of the pink haired Saotome. "I got you now you son of a-!"

_**CLANK!**_

Hikaru now had a frying pan firmly planted on her face. There was a pause before she fell backwards on her bum. "Oww...! Pinku-chan what was that for!?" She demanded.

Scarlett huffed and tossed the pan to who knows where. "Hikaru what is wrong with you?" She huffed as she turned and crouched down to the tiny bear. "Picking on this poor baby." She held her hands out cautiously to the baby. "Are you OK little guy?"

The baby bear tilted its head and made a cute sound. "Rah!"

"Aww." She picked it up. "You poor baby, you must've been separated from your family." She stood, cradling the baby in her arms. "Hikaru why would you pick on this poor baby?" She demanded.

"Pinku-chan that's not...! It's not actually...!" Hikaru was speechless.

Scarlett smiled at the bear. "Don't worry little guy, I'll protect you from that mean Hikaru." She looked at Hikaru. "I'm ashamed in you Hikaru. You shouldn't pick on helpless animals."

"B-but he peeked at me in the bath!"

"Hikaru, he's a bear cub, what does he care?" She smiled at the baby bear, who smiled brightly and cuddled her. "What a bright little guy." She tilted her head. "I'll call you Genki. You like that name, Genki-chan?" Genki made a sound of approval and nestled against her breasts.

A vein popped on Hikaru's head. "That little perv..." She growled. "I won't let you take advantage of my innocent Pinku-chance!" She lunged, and was once again greeted by a frying pan to the face. "O-Ow..." She fell backwards and held her nose. "Stop that!"

"Don't pick on Genki." She huffed.

Hikaru rubbed her face and looked to the side and blinked. "Pinku...there's a woman coming here. She looks just like you and Ranma." She pointed a little.

Scarlett sweatdropped and looked behind her. Nodoka smiled gently, walking with the grace only a traditional mother could have. Scarlett's eyes widened. Ryoga stepped outside and watched the scene curiously.

Nodoka and Scarlett made eye contact. Scarlett was frozen. A deer in the headlights. Nodoka's eyes widen. Scarlett bit her bottom lip and could only stand there as her aunt walked to her slowly. Scarlett gulped as Nodoka stopped in front of her and tilted her chin up and examined her face.

Nodoka pulled away and covered her mouth in shock. Scarlett's eyes soften. Nodoka parted her lips to speak, and only one word came out. A name.

"Yoshiko-chan?" She whispered gingerly.

Ryoga and Hikaru's eyes widened. "Yoshiko-chan!?" They repeated.


End file.
